Frozen Hearts, Shattered Minds
by rowenar11
Summary: This is a much darker retelling of the original Disney story, which shows the more realistic sorrow, murder, and insanity that the two sisters would encounter within their tale. Rated T, for dark content and some strong language.
1. Chapter 1: Anna's Injury

Author's Note:

This is going to be pretty dark, so I rated it T, just in case. You have been warned. This first chapter is just a short bit, but I'll have much longer chapters in the future, don't worry!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Frozen's characters or plots, I only own my twists and alterations!

* * *

King George flipped through the thick volume, scowling. After a few minutes, completely frustrated, he flung it down onto the floor and shouted, "If we never find the origin, how are we supposed to understand it?!"

Of course, being his wife, I was expected to comfort him and tell him we'd eventually find it. But I always tended to be more truthful towards him. "These things take time," I said, casting a slightly patronizing glance towards him. "You can't search our entire family records in a week."

"Erica-" he began, but was interrupted by a shout, and our eyes widened as we heard Elsa yell, "Momma! POPPA!" Immediately, we dropped the books we were holding and rushed out of the library towards the grand ballroom, where Elsa's yells were coming from. We quickly reached the large doors and shoved against them. It took quite a lot of strength to get them open, and as soon as the doors burst inwards, we realized that it was because they were frozen shut. As soon as we were in there, I almost screamed at the sight. Elsa was kneeling and holding her younger sister, Anna, but that was a minor sight compared to the huge pool of blood on the floor. But strangely, it was rapidly paling, turning into a dark pink instead of the original crimson. I suddenly realized what was happening as the edges of the pool, which were the palest, began frosting over and cracking as they froze.

George whispered, "She'll be completely frozen within minutes." Then he quickly picked Anna up, who was unconscious. The gash in her head was seeping the thick, scarlet blood, and my eyes widened. I was sure that she would be dead at that moment, until George said, "I know where we have to go." Without another word, he rushed out of the ballroom, carrying Anna, and I took Elsa's hand, ready to leave with her, but stopped.

"You're ice cold," I said quietly, looking her in the face.

She paled rapidly and looked up at me. "I didn't mean to. It was an accident!"

As I looked around the ballroom, I saw the hills of snow and the crumbled remains of what was apparently a snowman in the corner, and the icy floor. It was just the girls playing in here, having fun. My heart softened as I looked at Elsa. "It's all right. She'll be okay," I said, though I couldn't be sure. Though I liked telling the truth, that wasn't what Elsa needed to hear right now.

I tightened my grip on her hand, no matter how cold it was, but as we left the ballroom, I noticed something strange. On Elsa's face, there was a small, trembling smile.


	2. Chapter 2: Elsa's Trap

Author's Note:

Wow! I'm surprised by how many views I've already gotten! Thanks for viewing and please leave a review, telling me what you like and what I can do better! This one is going to be longer than the last one, and I'll try and do a longer one next time as well!

Warning: This is rated T for dark content (that will appear in the future).

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Frozen or any of its characters and plots, I only own my changes and twists!

* * *

"Mommy! Mommy, look, I made a snow angel!" Anna rushed over to me, grinning and pointing at an impression of her backside in the snow a few feet away.

I chuckled and pulled her hat further down on her head, slightly covering the long, puckered scar on her forehead. "That's great, sweetie. Keep playing."

She hesitated, then said, "Mommy, I wanna build a snowman with Elsa."

I gasped slightly, then looked around. George was approaching us from the castle, so I spoke quickly. "Honey, we don't talk about Elsa around Daddy, okay?"

She looked confused for a second, but before she could reply, George walked up to us and scooped up Anna in his arms. She giggled and hugged him, then pointed at her snow angel and babbled about it. I smiled at her antics, then looked back at the castle, which always looked forlorn and solitary to me in the winter. Anna's enthusiasm was contagious, but I wasn't quite happy whenever I thought of our other daughter, alone in her room.

After a few minutes, when Anna was running around and playing in the snow, George came up to me and smiled. "She's having a lot of fun," he said, looking back at our daughter. Then he looked back at me and said, "She's growing up so fast. Soon, she'll be a queen, ruling over-"

"Wait," I interrupted, looking him right in the eyes. "Anna can't be queen. That's Elsa's birthright."

The mention of her name paled him, and he glared at me. "You can't be serious. She's out of control, she can't possibly inherit the throne when we're gone!"

Anna paused and turned towards us at his raised voice, but I quickly smiled at her, and she went back to playing. Then I looked back at George and replied with, "Listen, we can't just take away the throne from our eldest. I don't care what reservations you may have, she'll have her power in control by the time she's queen."

He was about to respond when Anna ran back towards us, some of her coat buttons flying open as she recklessly tumbled through the snow. Under his breath, he said, "We'll discuss this later." Then he turned towards Anna and grinned as she launched herself right into his arms. I watched, smiling, but underneath, my thoughts were in turmoil. It was wrong to just ignore Elsa's right to rule... right? I wasn't quite sure. If it wasn't safe for her to be in charge of the kingdom, then Anna should be the one to rule. But maybe she'd be in control by then...

The sunset began glinting on the white blanket of snow around the castle, and George smiled at me. "Ready to go inside?" he asked, picking Anna up, who looked like a huge wool puffball in her coat.

I nodded. "Let's go." All three of us walked back towards the castle. Within minutes, Anna was in the kitchen, drinking a cup of hot cocoa, her coat discarded on the floor along with her hat. She still had her boots on, which she absolutely adored (and wore at all times, much to the dissatisfaction of the shoe cleaning maid). George was sitting next to her, smiling and listening as she chattered on about the snow. I watched for a few minutes, then left the kitchen quietly. I walked up the stairs, making sure to avoid the creaking sections, then went down the hall towards the purple and blue detailed door. I knocked quietly, then said, "Elsa? Are you in there?"

It was a second before I heard her usual reply of, "I'm in here. Come in." With her invitation, I opened the door, then paused as I saw several snowflakes hovering around the room. There were icy spikes projecting from the wall in several places, and I carefully avoided them as I walked in.

"Hi, sweetie," I said gently. "Ready for bed?" The little girl in front of me was very thin for her age, with dark bags under her eyes and a strange clearness to her eyes. She looked too old for her age, beyond her years in many ways. Her white-blond hair was in its usual braid, but it was a bit frizzier than usual. I smiled kindly and walked up to the bed, then grabbed her brush. "Let's take care of that hair." Elsa sat next to me and gave me a small smile before turning her back to me. I took out her braid, then softly ran the brush through it. The light from the sunset was filtering into the room in rays, hitting the ice crystals along the walls and causing sparkling luminescence to fill the room, making Elsa's bright hair seem like it was glowing. After a few minutes, I put the brush back down. The light was fading as she crawled under the covers of her bed. I shivered as the room chilled, but kept smiling for Elsa. I began the last part of the nightly ritual, humming the usual slow tune.

After I finished, Elsa asked, "Mommy, where'd you learn that?"

"I don't remember." I shrugged, then smiled and said, "It's pretty, isn't it? All right, time for bed." I tucked in the blankets around her and kissed her on her pale forehead. "Good night, sweetie. Love you." For some reason, she didn't say anything back tonight, and was silent as I left the room, but I didn't worry about it. It didn't seem important at the time.

As soon as I left the room and shut the door behind me, I heard footsteps, and turned to see George quickly walking towards me. My eyes widened as I realized he had seen me coming out of the room. "I was just putting her to bed-" I began, but he interrupted.

"You're all right," he said, embracing me, his voice surprisingly gentle.

I paused for a minute, obviously surprised. "Wait, what? Why wouldn't I-" Then I looked back towards Elsa's door. "George... you're _scared of your own daughter_?!"

He looked me right in the eyes. "Darling, I don't want you going in there anymore. At all. All right?"

"But I was just putting her to BED! There is nothing wrong with that!"

George's hand brushed against my skirt, then he held up his palm towards me. It was covered in frost. I looked down and I gasped as I realized that my skirt was covered in ice crystals, and I also realized that I had been shivering. Still... he was overreacting! "Look, it was just a little cold. That doesn't mean I can't go in there and see my daughter!"

"It's dangerous." The hard set in his jaw told me how serious he was about this. He certainly didn't think this was irrational. But why? After a few seconds, he turned away from me and walked towards a nearby guard. I overheard him saying, "Set up a watch around the eldest princess's door. Let no one in or out, unless giving the princess food. All right?"

The guard nodded, and I gasped and walked towards him. "George, this is absolutely ridiculous! How DARE you lock her in there! She'll be lonely!"

He whirled towards me. "I'm trying to keep us all safe! Leave, or I'll make this worse for her!"

Was he THREATENING me with Elsa's well being?! How dare he! But seeing that he wasn't budging, I glared at him, then walked back down the hallway, determined to return and get Elsa out.


	3. Chapter 3: Opening the Door

Author's Note:

Okay, WOW. I'm really surprised at how many views I've gotten so far! Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

This story is rated T for dark content, just so you know.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Frozen or any of its characters or plot, I only own my own twists and changes!

* * *

Elsa was trapped in her room for eight years. Eight long years, in one guarded room. She had enough food and water, and replacement clothes when she needed them, but that was no excuse to do something like that to a little girl. And of course, there is one question: why didn't I stop it?

Because over time, I became afraid of her, too. Whenever I passed by her room, my temptation to walk in would disappear when I would hear her through the door. Sometimes, I would hear her laughing in there, and it wasn't a sweet child's laugh, it was... horrifying, somehow. I was almost certain that it wasn't a laugh of pleasure, it was a laugh of fear. And then other times, I would hear her screaming, a high and piercing sound. It was often that I would walk down the hallway and see one of the guards having to hack at ice that was creeping under the door, shattering it into thousands of tiny pieces. Frost also crawled along the door, and sometimes, the maids had to pour boiling water on the door in order to at least partially clear it. We were all afraid of what was happening in that room, that much was obvious.

Whenever Elsa was screaming or laughing, I always tried to distract myself with Anna, who was like a bright ray of sunshine in our cold and dark castle. She was always cheerful, running around and causing mischief. That's what the castle sorely needed, a child, who was innocent enough not to know about our dark secret, her sister. She knew that Elsa always stayed in her room, but she somehow never found out about Elsa's powers.

The worst times, though, were when I wasn't with Anna, and I passed by Elsa's door, and it was completely silent behind it. I would always think that she had finally died, and I was never sure if I was horrified or... pleased about it, overjoyed that the darkness that surrounded her was gone. Those thoughts always filled me with the worst guilt, until I could hear her voice behind the door, and I sighed with relief, then wondered why I was relieved.

Elsa was always a source of conflicting feelings and difficult decisions, and the day we opened the door and saw her room for the first time in eight years was no exception. The only advance warning I had was when I woke up next to George, and he looked at me and whispered, "We're opening the door today." We both knew exactly what he was talking about, and as I prepared for it, I felt this awful creeping dread overcoming me. Cold dawn light broke on the window, and the grey clouds outside depicted my mood perfectly. Not quite dark enough to rain, but certainly not happy sunshine. It seemed to be the kind of weather that foreboded a day full of sick anticipation.

It was only an hour later when we were standing outside the door, George to my left and Anna to my right. I held her hand, smiling at her encouragingly. She smiled back, but it was more nervous than excited, that smile. She was probably worried that Elsa would be cold and unfeeling, a terrible sister. I feared for much worse.

The guard took hold of the door handle, then winced and quickly pulled it away. Frost had grown along it, and he pulled on a glove before grabbing it again, though he still shivered from the frigid feeling. He turned the knob with a click, and the door swung open.

"Elsa?" I said quietly. "It's us."

Within the dark interior, we could see the silhouette of a thin young woman sitting on a bed, her hair in a braid that ran down her shoulder. Her head turned towards us in one quick motion, and I started slightly as it did. She then stood, and started slowly walking towards the door. I could feel George beginning to back away, but I took his hand and squeezed it, and he stilled. And Elsa kept walking. After a few seconds, she stopped, and we could see her pale hair glistening in the gray light, and her clear blue eyes sparkling. The bags under her eyes had only darkened over the years, and her figure was tall and lithe, almost graceful. She was beautiful, but in a cold, lifeless way.

"Hello, mother," she said in what was almost a whisper. "It's been too long."


	4. Chapter 4: Cold Dinner

Author's Note:

I thought that I'd be quicker with uploading this one instead of waiting a day to start working on it. You're welcome! Please post an honest review and tell me what you like and what I can improve, it definitely helps my writing!

This story is rated T for dark content, just so you know.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Frozen or any of its characters or plots, I only own my twists and changes!

* * *

As we walked down to dinner, I pulled George aside, letting Anna, Elsa, and the accompanying guards walk ahead a ways. Then I whispered, "Why did you let her out now? You could've let her out any time during the past eight years. Why now?"

George hesitated, then spoke. "I... I realized that I can't make problems disappear by locking them in a room."

It didn't quite convince me, but I accepted it for the moment. I nodded, and we quickly caught up with Anna and Elsa, then walked down to the dining hall. The dress Elsa was wearing was plain and old (the maids hadn't spared much expense on her clothing), obviously a hand-me-down, and it paled in comparison to Anna's woven green dress, but everyone pretended that everything about this was normal. We didn't say anything about this being our first complete family dinner since Elsa was six. Nobody spoke as we sat in our chairs around the grand table. George looked at me nervously, and I smiled encouragingly at him. This was not the time to be resentful. If Elsa got angry with us, we'd all pay the price.

The servants began bringing in dishes. I sat next to George, and Anna was next to Elsa across the table. As the servants carried in platters, I could see shock flicker across their faces as they saw Elsa, but they had remarkable composure and served us like they usually did, bringing a plate to Elsa as well. We began eating quietly, looking across the table at each other occasionally, except for Elsa, who seemed disinterested in us.

Anna smiled at me, trying to be reassuring, then spoke. "So, Elsa, do you like the food?"

"It's all right," Elsa said quietly, taking another bite. It was just like Anna to start the conversation.

"That's good," she replied, smiling at her sister. "I love eating pasta, but you know what I like even more? Roast chicken. Mmm, that stuff is amazing."

Elsa didn't respond, just kept eating. Slightly nervous, I said, "If you want to get some new dresses, dear, we can have the seamstress sew some for you."

She paused, her fork in the air, then her eyes flickered towards me for the first time. I shuddered as her pale eyes connected with mine. "That would... that would..." she began saying, her voice soft. "That would be..." Frost began growing along the edge of her spoon. "You know what would be great?" she said suddenly, putting down her spoon. "If as long as I'm here, maybe we could cut the shit and actually act like I've been trapped in my room _for years_!" Ice crystals suddenly began forming on the table around her plate, and George and I looked at each other wide-eyed.

Anna paled as she saw the ice. "What... how'd that appear?" she asked, staring at it.

"Elsa, please, we can talk about this-" George began, but he yelled with shock as a crystal suddenly shot out of the table and stopped two inches away from his chin. He leapt up out of his chair, shaking slightly. I stayed sitting, thinking that Elsa would feel less threatened if less people were standing.

But apparently, there was nothing stopping violence from breaking out. Elsa began screaming, "And you didn't even TELL her about me?! YOU DIDN'T TELL HER?!" Ice began shooting outwards in spears from her, thunking into the walls. I shrieked as one went past my chair, and I jumped up. Anna slowly stood, staring at what her sister was doing, her eyes wide. "How DARE you try and hide this from the person who should know this MOST!" A chunk of ice flew between George and I, and we both started. I tripped over my chair leg and fell to the floor, quickly rushing away from the table and standing.

"Elsa, please, STOP!" Anna said, stepping in front of her.

Surprised, Elsa stopped flinging ice, though the spikes and frost remained on the table. "But... Anna, they _imprisoned _me for this," she said quietly, and this time, her voice wasn't guarded, it was wavering and... almost childlike. "I can't just let them get away with that!"

Anna hesitated, then spoke. "What they did... it was wrong," she said, her face looking back at us. Her expression wasn't shocked or surprised, it was just... disappointed. "But that doesn't mean you have to hurt them." Then she quietly said, "I missed you." We were all shocked as her arms wrapped around Elsa's thin frame.

Eyes wide, mouth slightly agape, Elsa just stared at the top of Anna's head for a few seconds, then her arms responded by wrapping around Anna as well. She smiled gently, and that was the first time we saw Elsa soften.

But a few seconds later, her clear, cold eyes looked straight at George and I, and we knew that we weren't forgiven. Not by a long shot.


	5. Chapter 5: Royal Demise

Author's Note:

Thanks for reading the story so far, and thanks for the reviews! Remember, I love hearing input and constructive criticism, so please leave your review! This chapter is much longer, because I thought that this scene deserved much more effort put into it, as it's such a critical one in the film.

This story is rated T for dark content and some strong language, just so you know.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Frozen or any of its characters or plots, I only own my changes and twists!

* * *

It had been a month since Elsa had come out of her room, and George and I were still treading carefully around her. I hated to be on the same side as George, but I had to admit, Elsa could still be dangerous, and we had to be careful. I considered it a temporary truce on the subject. Looking back, I shouldn't have been so careful, I should have taken what we called the "Anna approach". She was always at Elsa's side, chattering happily and being friendly, despite everyone else's fear. I don't think that Anna was afraid of her sister one bit. I wish I could be as trusting as her, and be able to purely love Elsa, but... I couldn't. It was something about the look in her eyes whenever she glanced at me, something about how she was always quiet. Not a peaceful quiet at all. It was more of a buildup, something that could be fractured and shattered in an instant.

As midsummer rolled around, we were invited to my first cousin's wedding. She had been missing for several years, and the fact that she was back and getting married was surprising, to say the least. Of course, I sent a reply to the invitation saying they could count on us to be there. But as I was holding the letter, walking downstairs to convey it to one of the messengers, George quickly took it from my hand. I turned to glare at him, but seeing his serious expression, I frowned. "What?" I asked.

"If we go to that wedding, then there'll be no one to supervise Anna and Elsa. Anything could happen," he said quietly.

I hadn't thought of that, but I was determined to go to the wedding. "To be frank," I said in a low tone, "there's not much we can do to stop her anyways."

As I finished my sentence, Elsa walked down the hallway, Anna holding her by the arm and walking with her as usual. Anna was talking excitedly and laughing occasionally, and Elsa nodded occasionally, an actual, small smile curving upwards on her pale face. But as she passed us, her eyes flickered towards mine, and I shivered. I was certainly afraid to leave her with Anna, and I certainly didn't trust her... but what I had said was right. There wasn't much we could do anyways. Maybe by leaving, we'd give her some time to recuperate, and she'd be cheerful when we got back. Of course, that was a very optimistic outlook, but one could hope.

A few days later, as a few guards carried our suitcases down the stairs, we were saying goodbye to our daughters. Anna ran up and hugged us enthusiastically, and I smiled at her. "See you in two weeks!" she said, grinning. Then she let go and looked at us, biting her lip. This was the first time I had seen Anna showing a negative emotion about Elsa, and it was obvious that she was what she was worried about. Her bright eyes kept flickering towards Elsa, who was standing a few feet away. In a quieter voice, she said, "Do you have to go?"

"You'll be fine, Anna," George said, smiling encouragingly. Then as Anna smiled back and stepped away, back to her default position next to Elsa, George said, "Good-bye, Elsa."

Instead of speaking, Elsa only nodded, her hair in a tight bun behind her head.

We were soon on the ship and heading towards the wedding. It was an absolute blast. The country my cousin ruled with her husband was only a few days away by ship, and the celebrations were expected to last a week, and they certainly lived up to expectation. The groom was a charming man, if a little rough around the edges, and the bride was so sweet, a little bit naive, but sweet. It was a welcome change to the constant fear that we lived with in our own home. I found that as we reembarked on the ship, I was regretting going back to the cold castle, and back to Elsa's biting eyes. Still, we embarked, and we were on our way.

We were almost home, when during the night, as I stood near the prow, looking at the ocean, George walked up to me.

"We need to send her away," he said in a solemn tone. We both knew who he was talking about.

I turned, and surprisingly feeling defensive, I glared at him. "We can't! Not now, not ever."

"But she'll be all right. We'll give her time to recover."

"You're speaking as if you're not the one who made her how she was."

My cold tone silenced him, and he gazed out over the ocean. It was the first time we had actually addressed whose fault it was for Elsa's imprisonment. After a minute, he spoke again. "If we send her away," he said slowly, "we can tell the kingdom she died of illness. Then she'll have a nice place to live, and Anna will be queen."

I turned to face him once again. "Why can't she be queen? It's her right. She's been doing well enough." It was true, we hadn't seen any ice created from Elsa for the past month.

"We both know that she's never going to be normal!" His voice rose as he spoke. "She's insane, you know that! With that and her power, who knows what could happen? She'll kill someone!"

With that, he suddenly stopped. I suddenly realized why he was so afraid of her, and as it dawned on me, a cold fear clenched in my gut. "She's killed someone before."

It wasn't a question, and he knew that. "Two days before I posted the guard in front of her door is when it happened," he began, his face drawn. "One of the maids. She was stabbed in the heart. Erica... you should have seen it. No, you'd never want to see it. The ice went through her veins. In the end, she choked to death on the shards." His hands began trembling. "I tried to save her, I really did. But nothing would help her. She was dead... but it didn't stop there. Erica, she became ice! Completely ice. And you know what Elsa did?" His eyes locked on mine. "She watched. And she laughed."

The first thought that flashed through my mind was, _Why hadn't he told me? _But I suddenly realized that his behavior made sense. He had really been trying to protect me that night. The only reason he had cut Elsa off from the rest of us was because he was afraid that the same thing would happen to me, or worse, Anna.

But still... my little girl, who smiled at me every time I came to hum to her at night, the little girl who made snowmen with her sister and looked at every snowflake like it was part of her soul... how could she have been a murderer?

I was silent for a long time, and my husband and I stood at the rail, watching the waves crash below. Soon, the sea became wilder and the waves taller, and George left to stay below decks. A sailor tried to tell me to follow him, but I was still silent, staring at the waves.

If I hadn't stayed, I wouldn't have been able to say goodbye to my daughter one last time.

It was a few minutes more before I spotted her, standing on the approaching shoreline. She was wearing a simple dark blue dress, and her hair was pulled back into the same bun as when I had last seen her. But as I watched, she pulled out the pins, and the bun unrolled into a pale braid running down her shoulder. Thinking she was coming to welcome us, I smiled and waved at her, and she smiled back, but... it was wrong. Somehow, the smile was terribly wrong.

Then a small ball of white appeared in her hand. Still smiling oddly at me, she let it drop into the ocean in front of her. I watched it approach with growing horror, not thinking to warn anyone about it. I should have gotten my husband. I should have told him that I loved him, but I didn't. I never got the chance.

The whiteness glowed on the ocean before beginning to spread, and I realized that it was a spike of jagged ice, heading right for the hull. I will never forget that moment. I couldn't look away from Elsa as her mouth opened and she began to sing a wordless melody. The song was carried across the waves with the wind, and a tear ran down my cheek when I recognized it. Guilt flooded into me with the familiar tune, the memory of bedtimes that should never have stopped.

The creaking snap of breaking wood echoed in the stormy air. I could now see the crack in the wood spreading up the prow and steadily widening. Sailors and crew ran across the deck, trying with the desperation of the dying to do something, anything. But I just stood there, because there was nothing to be done. At least, nothing that would help. Beginning to sob, I shouted back at the shore. "I'M SORRY! ELSA, I"M SO SORRY!"

Either she didn't hear me or she didn't care, because she just continued to sing, a terrible glint in her eyes. The ship lurched, and my feet slipped on the rain-slicked deck. I shouted, "PLEASE!" but it did nothing. I still fell backwards across the deck, screaming, and nothing was there to stop me from plunging into the freezing water. Everything churned around me as timbers were flung past and bubbles swirled all around. After what seemed like an eternity of the sting of salt water and the agonizing pain in my lungs, I caught a brief glimpse of the stars through the twisted foam.

_It's such a beautiful night, _I thought as I let myself go, Elsa's sung melody echoing in my ears.


	6. Chapter 6: Childhood in the Room

Author's Note:

Thank you so much for reading, everyone! Please leave a review so that I know how to improve the story!

This story is rated T for dark content and some strong language, just so you know.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Frozen or any of its characters and plots, I only own my twists and changes!

* * *

Elsa wasn't at the funeral. Though Anna looked thoroughly, she couldn't see any glimpse of white-blond hair among the mourners. It was a dreary, sunless day, and Anna's breath morphed into a crystallized fog in the air as she stood next to the graves, though it was the middle of summer. Her mother hadn't been recovered, and the pieces that used to be her father were almost too mutilated by the rocks near shore to be recognized. It was obviously a closed casket service.

Before leaving, Anna left a bouquet of pink tulips in front of each headstone (royal couples always had separate headstones), then walked back to the carriage. She nodded to the driver, then clambered in, and it was off towards the castle. It was only moments later, it seemed when she stood outside Elsa's door, clenched fist poised to knock. But instead, she let it fall and whispered, "Elsa?" A tear ran down her cheek. "I know you're in there. Please let me in."

When she didn't get a reply, she continued quietly. "I'm... I'm here for you. Just so you know." Suddenly, a fiery plume of anger erupted in her. "Elsa, we're all each other has, goddammit! Why won't you let me in?!" She tried the door, but it was locked as always. "Please! I just don't want to be alone, and I know you don't want to, either! LET ME IN!" The shouting turned into a sob, and she slumped against the door. "What are we supposed to do?" she asked, almost silently.

With a high-pitched creak, the door began moving outwards, and Anna abruptly stood to get out of the way. It only opened a crack, and she could see part of Elsa's somber eye and one pale blue eye peering out at her. "Would you... would you like to come in?" she asked.

Anna nodded, and Elsa opened the door a little farther. Immediately, Anna burst in and hugged her, sobbing into her shoulder, not seeming to notice that Elsa wasn't wearing any black at all. They stayed like that for a while, but it came to a sudden stop as Elsa pushed her away. "Please. Leave," she said haltingly. Confused, but not surprised, Anna walked out of the room, also not noticing the icy handprints on the back of her dress where Elsa had hugged her back.

Quietly, Elsa sat down on her bed and looked around the room, the room that she was sometimes too terrified of to even get near, where she had been imprisoned. Memories came flooding back, of what had made it all bearable...

Screaming. That's all she remembered before he arrived. Just screaming, shouting out, trying to make her lungs burst with the effort. Then, unexpectedly, something interrupted the three years she had been locked in the room... another human was talking to her.

"Are you okay?" the voice asked, seeming scared.

She had to swallow quite a bit to get her throat moist enough to respond. Even then, her voice was dry and airy, the screams destroying her vocal chords. "No," she whispered. "Can you help me?"

"Yeah." The voice was coming from behind the door. "Can you unlock the door?"

"No." The guard kept it locked whenever he left. They must have gone to either eat or use the restroom.

"Oh." They were both silent for a second. Then the voice spoke again. "Do you have a window?"

"Yeah, but it's locked, too."

"I could break it."

"Okay."

The voice disappeared for a few minutes, and for the first time since she was locked in, she was genuinely excited. Maybe it would be her chance to escape, or her chance to make a friend. After all, the only friends she had were her books, and the illusion of them caring could only go so far.

Soon, she saw a little boy climbing around the outside wall, using small cracks and chips in the stone as footholds, holding a rock. He threw it at the glass, and it smashed through, hitting the wall on the other side of the room. Elsa grinned as he climbed in, and he grinned back at her. Then he winced as the side of his hand dragged along a jagged edge of the remains of the window.

Elsa quickly ran over to him and grabbed his arm. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly, still unused to talking.

"I'm okay," he said, though his face was scrunched with pain.

Of course, Elsa did the only thing she was good at (besides reading and screaming). Whether caused by accident or on purpose, a thin trickle of ice flowed over his palm and ran along the edge of his wound, sealing it in a chilling line. The children looked at each other, the boy surprised, Elsa smiling.

"Thanks," he said. "I'm Hans."

Elsa decided to be proper, so she executed a rather wobbly curtsy. "I'm Elsa," she replied.

Hans's eyes widened. "The princess that's always sick in her room?"

She shrugged. "I guess I'm sick. They used to like it, though."

"Why would they keep you in here?"

"Cuz I hurt my sister."

"Oh. Well, you helped me, and that's good. Thanks for fixing my hand."

"You're welcome."

There was silence between the two kids. Then Elsa asked, "How'd you climb here?"

"I'm being trained to be a soldier, cuz I can't rule over anything," he said, shrugging. "I climb really good. I can teach you, if you want."

"That would be great." Then Elsa asked a question she'd been wanting to ask for a long time... but to a different person. Well, she had someone else to ask now, and he'd certainly do. "Do you want to build a snowman?"

Hans grinned. "Sure."


	7. Chapter 7: Disastrous Festival

Author's Note:

Wow, this story has been read by almost 200 people! Thank you so much to everyone who has read it! If you have any suggestions, please leave a review, they help improve my writing!

This story is rated T for dark content and some strong language, just so you know.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Frozen or any of its characters or plots, I only own my twists and changes!

* * *

Three summers was all she got with him. But they were the best summers of her life. Now that he had broken the window and taught her how to climb out, she was free to go outside whenever she wished. However, she only went out when Hans wanted to. She still had hopes that someone would open the door, and she wanted to be there when it did. But when Hans was there, he was always able to persuade her to go out. Elsa would wear a cloak, the hood always up over her bright and easily distinguishable hair, with Hans by her side.

Rumors began to reflect their city visits. Some whispers said that the hooded girl was a witch. Others told confidently that princes of the Southern Isles received concubines at a young age, and she was one of them. And then others gossiped that she was a secret princess from the Southern Isles, born from the king's (possibly) cheating wife and a palace servant.

But over time, the window started to become too small. It was during the third summer that she made her last trip with him. Hans was already too big and couldn't get into her room. He had to climb out, carefully scaling the worn bricks under her window.

That day, Hans was waiting, wearing his usual uniform and holding out a gloved hand, grinning at her. She smiled back, but wistfully. She knew it would be her last trip outside with him. But both of them acted like it was just a normal day. Elsa took his extended hand and said, "Shall we?"

"Of course." He smiled at her encouragingly, then climbed down with her and led her into the street. This trip, however, was different, and it wasn't because the summer visitors from the Southern Isles were departing. Today was the usual festival celebrating the end of the summer, but things were surprisingly... tense. People turned to stare at them, but before Hans or Elsa could get a closer look, they'd hurriedly turn away. The music was bright and cheerful, but when they passed the musicians, the volume dipped slightly. It was too little for anyone else to be able to notice, but enough that it was obvious to the pair.

As they walked through the streets, Elsa's usual marveling spirit subdued, Hans suddenly whispered, "Listen, your father knows something's going on."

"What?" Elsa asked, eyes widening.

"I'm sorry, we should have taken more precautions, I would have-"

"Son!" a voice boomed across the square. The very king of the Southern Isles, a widower, was there with Elsa's parents trailing. As soon as Elsa's father saw them, he said something to the queen, and she smiled at him and walked over to the musicians, beginning a conversation with them.

The pair of kings got closer and closer, and Elsa drew away from Hans's grasp, starting to walk quickly away from them. But Hans's father reached them too quickly and grinned at his son. "There you are. I've been looking for you," he said, his smile looking a lot like Hans's.

The prince smiled back, trying to hide his nervousness. The king also looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "Stay and talk with us, please. I've heard so much about you."

The way he said it made chills run down her spine. But it was much worse when her father walked up and stared at her. He was shocked at first, but then she saw the shame crawl across his face. That was the worst blow.

"Elsa," he said when he had composed himself. "You're not supposed to be outside."

She nodded solemnly. "I know." She took Hans's hand, hoping she'd have the courage to say what she needed to. "I've been in that room for so long-"

"We should get you inside. Don't want you to get too much sun," he said hurriedly, and before she could say anything else, his arm pulled her into a nearby tavern. Hans and his own father followed them inside.

As soon as they were in there, she glared at her father. "You can't stop me from going outside anymore. And pretending that-"

"Darling, it's for your own good," he replied. She almost believed his concerned face. But she was still so infuriated that they were still pretending that she was their sickly daughter, and she would make sure that the ruse didn't work anymore.

"No, stop ly-"

Now Hans's father interrupted. "I do hope that Hans taking her outside often hasn't augmented her condition."

Elsa's father paled. "Often?"

"You didn't know? He's been escorting her everywhere."

"She... should be fine." He cleared his throat. "As long as she's been wearing a cloak or something similar."

"She's worn one every day."

"Good, very good."

Elsa finally couldn't listen to the bullshit anymore. "STOP IT!" she shouted. Everyone in the tavern turned to look at them, but she ignored the stares, which included Hans's, and continued. "Stop pretending that I'm sick! You might be able to lie to them, but if you expect me to help you with your little charade, then you're wrong! I've been locked in my room for YEARS, and you've never said the REAL REASON WHY! Well, I'll show you all! I'll show you ALL why I was locked up!"

And with that, she made one of the biggest mistakes of her life.

Crystals of ice as large and sharp as spear heads burst from inside her and spiraled around the room. Most were embedded in the walls, but still, a large amount hit the innocent people in the tavern, and the screaming began. She wasn't aware of her mistake until she turned to see Hans, mouth gaping, an immense crystal buried in his chest. Blood was beginning to trickle downwards, staining his pristine white uniform. He slumped to the floor weakly.

"NO!" Elsa screamed, rushing to him. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen..."

But she paused there. As she watched the wound, she noticed Hans's hand glowing, where she had healed him years ago. Frost began edging the gash that the ice had created, closing over it. And the ice began melting away. But a single shard went deeper inside him, and she saw a brief glow near his heart before the frost stopped, and he looked... perfect. Except for the blood on his uniform.

Elsa looked up, grinning at him, but to her surprise, he wasn't grinning back. In fact, he was looking down coldly at her.

He stared at her that way for a while, then spoke. "Stay away from me," he muttered, pushing her away as he stood.

"But Hans," she said pleadingly, "you're okay. You'll be okay, there's no need to be afraid of me!"

"You think that's a cause for celebration?" He gestured around the room. "All of those people are going to die. Unless you melt the ice."

Looking around the room, at the blood beginning to seep into the floor, she whispered, "I... I can't. I don't know how."

Leaning in close, he whispered, "You disgust me." He grabbed the arm of his obviously shocked father and left. Elsa, horrified, was only able to stare at the door, until her father put a hand on her shoulder. "Go home. And stay in there," he said quietly. She nodded, then mutely walked out the door. Looking down the street, she could see Hans, walking away towards the ship he, his father, and a few other siblings had sailed to Arindelle on. She was about to turn and leave when her father hurried out after her.

"We need a cover," he whispered urgently. "And for that, we need..." he gulped, "no witnesses."

In an instant, Elsa understood what he wanted her to do. Rather than accusing him of being a monster, like she would have in other circumstances, she walked up to the tavern wall and placed her pale palm on it. Did this make her a monster as well? At this point, she didn't care anymore. It was all too easy to feel the ice already in there, to cover the walls in a layer of frost, to create the jagged spikes all around. They were extensions of her will now, and she stretched them outwards like her fingers, and felt them piercing human flesh...

Then it was done. She ignored her father planning the announcement of poisonous gas in the tavern, she ignored her mother, who was looking over as if she could tell something was going on. She'd never know that Elsa had a hand in it, however, because Elsa pulled her hood over her head and walked through the streets back to the castle.


	8. Chapter 8: Attempted Escape

Author's Note:

Wow, everyone, thank you so much for reading! Sorry I've been gone for a few days. I'll try and post more often!

This story is rated T for dark content and some strong language, just so you know. (This is the chapter where it gets dark. REAL dark. I had some trouble writing this. I'm serious, if you're squeamish, don't read this chapter.)

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Disney or any of its characters and plots, I only own my twists and changes!

* * *

The room. The room in which time stretched out endlessly, in which she felt pain and anguish and fear. The room in which she felt most at home, because no one was disgusted with who she was, and no fathers asked her to murder taverns full of people. The room in which she felt the most longing, and the most hatred, towards her family. This room was home and hell all in one. Elsa felt all the emotions of this place rush through her, the anger and the sorrow and the joy, and while she felt all this, her head churning with emotion, she only sat on her bed. Her eyes were clear and cold, staring at the wall, her kneels brought up to her chin and her arms wrapping tightly around her legs.

Nobody could save her. Hans wasn't there for her anymore. And her family would never let her out, that much she was sure of. Not when she was a murderer. Her father would never let anyone open that door. So why lock her up and not just kill her?

Because he still had a conscience, she realized. Having her blood on his hands would apparently be too much. Apparently, he blamed her for the tavern disaster, though he was the one who asked her to do it. She was certain he didn't keep her alive because he loved her. There was no one who loved her anymore.

Then why was she still around?

The word _suicide _arose from the depths of her mind, something from a long-ago question she had asked her mother, before she had hurt Ana.

_"Mommy, what's suicide?" the three-year-old asked. _

_The mother paled, looking down at her daughter. "Where'd you hear that?" she asked._

_The girl shrugged. "I was reading a book and it said suicide. What is it?"_

_Hesitating, the queen picked up the girl and spoke quietly. "Sweetie, suicide is when someone gets so sad that... um... they kill themself."_

_"Oh." The girl frowned. "Then it's not like murder?"_

_"Honey, what have you been reading?"_

_Giggling, the young girl jumped down from her mother's arms and ran off. "A book!" she called behind her._

Suicide. Was that how deep her life had plunged since six months ago when Hans had left? Had she gone beyond hope far enough that there was nothing else left? Her chaotic thoughts tumbled through her brain, and she kept staring at the wall, rocking herself on the bed. "Is it over?" she whispered. "Can it be over?" After all, if Hans was gone... what was there to live for?

With that thought in mind, she slowly stood, then looked around the room. If she did this, then this would be the last place she would be in, the last place she'd ever live in, where her existence would officially end. Granted, it wasn't a bad place to end everything in. The sunlight shining through the window was glittering on the crystals scattered across the wall... just like the last night her mother had put her to bed. Elsa briefly hummed that same tune, looking around the room one last time.

After a minute, she slowly grew a small spike of ice in her hand, running her finger across it to create grooves and lines until she had a serrated, frozen knife in her hands. She ran her finger along the tip, and a small line of red appeared on the edge of her finger. Drops of blood began drifting down her finger, and she gave a small, trembling smile. This was it. The end of the line. She slowly lifted the knife in her right hand, then laid her left arm on her nightstand and tried to keep it steady. _I never realized how thin my wrists were, _she thought to herself. Her arm trembled as she brought the knife down towards the edge of her palm. It was quick, the knife tugging slightly as it cut into her flesh. It was shocking how much of the dark blood began gushing down her arm, staining her dress sleeve. She could feel its warmth traveling down her skin. It was a moment before she felt the pain, and she gritted her teeth, trying not to scream. She was kneeling next to the nightstand, but vertigo quickly swept over her, and she fell back, sitting on the floor. Blood was now rushing towards the floor in a massive flood, and the carpet seemed to be blooming with vivid roses of liquid. Elsa closed her eyes, unable to look at her arm any more, feeling the dizziness and only being faintly aware that she had fallen onto her back.

Moments passed, and the pain and dizziness remained, but oddly, Elsa felt more... numb after a few seconds. Her wrist's pain was dulling gradually. _This must be it, _she thought, and she smiled, keeping her eyes closed. _I'll finally be free of this room._

But as time passed, nothing changed. She could feel the cold ground underneath her, the oddly thick liquid flowing down her arm, slowing over time. She opened her eyes, then sat up and looked at her wrist. She gasped as she regarded the thin line of frost covering her wrist. The wound looked almost as inconsequential as a paper cut without all the blood rushing from it. Her arm was still covered in red, but it had stopped its flow, and was now beginning to dry and darken.

"No. NO!" she screamed, looking down at her arm. She hadn't made this happen! The ice couldn't move without her control... could it? No, this couldn't be happening. She couldn't stay in this room for the rest of her life!

Suddenly, she turned towards the window, realizing what she could do. It was so simple all along. Quickly, she ran towards it, then with wild abandon, hurled herself outwards. But immediately, she felt a sudden pain on her shoulders as they banged into the sides of the window. No. No, she couldn't have grown that much, not yet! She pulled her arms out of the window and tried to pull herself out, but her shoulders wouldn't fit. She screamed as she looked outside, at the eternal view of the castle wall.

Finally, she stopped pulling and slumped, arms still extended outside the window, and began sobbing. The tears made her vision swim, and as she blinked, she saw the sunset's orange light. Slowly, she reached outward, letting the light fall on her frost-covered scar. It was so quiet in the evening, with her screaming gone and the sobs fading.

Suddenly, she realized that she was trying to do the entirely wrong thing. She was only punishing herself, and she was the victim. If she wanted true justice, she would have to punish the ones who did this to her. Her parents. _Yes, _she thought as she looked at her scar. _I don't care if I die in the attempt, I will make them feel as desperate and trapped as I am. I won't rest until they're dead._


	9. Chapter 9: Outside Again

Author's Note:

Wow. I can't believe so many people have actually read my story! Thank you so much, everyone, and please keep reading! If you have any critiques or suggestions about the story, please leave a review!

This story is rated T for dark content and some strong language, just so you know.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Frozen or any of its characters and plots, I only own my twists and changes!

* * *

_Several years later..._

As Elsa woke up, she looked around the all-too-familiar bedroom, then at the dress laid out on the floor, with the blue pair of gloves. _Coronation day, _she thought to herself, sitting up. Those gloves sitting on the floor, looking so innocent... _Necessary evil. Necessary evil,_ she chanted in her head, as if hearing it over and over would make wearing them more pleasant. She had to be in control today, because if they saw her powers, every plan she had would be ruined.

Slowly, she stood next to her bed, looking at the outfit. It was too... conservative, too proper. She longed to rip the ridiculously long sleeves away, to tear off the end of the skirt. In fact, why didn't she just do away with the whole thing? There would be no way she could make it better. Just run around in her night gown, why not? People would be shocked, but that didn't matter, did it? She was going to be queen soon, and she'd have as much freedom as she could ever want.

But to be queen, she'd have to get through the day without displaying her powers. It would be easy... if she kept those awful gloves on.

As the gates were pulled open, Anna gasped at how many people were crowding the streets. Were there really that many people in the kingdom? It seemed like there were even more beyond the initial crowd, all around the central square and walking through the streets. She could see the white, crisp sails over the port beyond, ruffling with the brisk breeze. Then sun shone warmly down on the entire scene, as far as the eye could see, sunlight dappling the mountains beyond the kingdom. Grinning widely, she ran out into the crowd, looking around in awe. She couldn't believe how many things were out here and how many people, and how _different _the people were! There were so many shades of hair, sizes of nose, color of skin, height and size... It was almost overwhelming how much there was! Bright banners, flags, shops, vendors yelling out their wares... Everything seemed to be much faster, and so alive.

While running down the street, trying to take everything in at once, Anna suddenly felt herself crashing into something large and hairy, then stumbled backwards and turned towards what she had crashed into. It was a large horse, which was looking at her in a confused way. "I'm so sorry!" a voice called, then out stepped a man in a white uniform. He held out his hand and smiled, then his eyes widened as he recognized her. "Anna?"

"Hans?" she said in reply, stepping closer. Then she grinned and wrapped her arms around him. "It's been so long since I last saw you! Wow, you're tall." She then stepped away and blushed. "I mean- it's a very nice size- you know- great stature."

He chuckled. "Thank you. You're looking great." Looking down at the ground, he frowned. "I... I'm sorry I wasn't at their funeral. I should've come back for that, I just..."

She immediately took his hand and smiled at him. "It's okay. It wasn't much fun anyways. Well, of course it wasn't, it was a funeral," she stammered. "But you- you know what I mean."

"Yes, I do." He smiled back at her, and she felt a fluttering in her chest.

Church bells began ringing in the background, and Anna gasped. "Oh, it's time for the coronation. I'd better go. See you there?"

"Of course." He bowed slightly, taking the reigns of his horse as he did.

Anna did an awkward curtsy back, then giggled as she ran towards the church. Hans watched her leave with a smile still on his face, then he paled as he saw someone else moving through the crowd. She was a commanding presence, purple cape fluttering in the wind behind her. Her icy eyes surveyed the crowd, and her gloved hands were clasped together and twitched occasionally. Suddenly, her eyes flickered towards him, and she stared for a moment. He stared back, unable to break his gaze away. With one gloved hand, she gestured for him to follow her, then turned and walked back towards the castle. Hans didn't know what else to do, so he slowly followed after her, pushing through the crowd. She eventually ducked through the gate and into the entrance to the palace gardens.

When Hans caught up with her, she was slowly pulling her glove off. With her covered hand holding it tightly, her uncovered one, pale in the light, gently touched a flower. Frost began to flow in tendrils around the blush-pink petals, and Elsa smiled as the whole flower became crystalline with ice. He watched in awe as she turned and looked at him. After a few seconds, she spoke. "It's not just something that kills, you know," she whispered.

"I know that," he said hesitantly. "It... it healed me, didn't it?"

She chuckled slightly, then turned back towards the flower. Her next statement was clearly a command. "You won't tell Anna everything that happened... right?"

He hesitated. "How much does she already know?"

"She knows I have powers. She doesn't know... what I've done with them." She touched the flower, and it suddenly shattered, shards of ice with pieces of stem or petal raining to the ground. She turned fully towards Hans, and he saw desperation in her glare. "Please, don't tell her. If she does, I lose her."

"Since when did you care if someone loved you?" he asked, scowling.

Elsa paused for the briefest of seconds, then said cautiously, "I cared about what you thought." For a moment, the two looked at each other, then she cleared her throat and continued. "Not anymore, however. All I care about is that you don't tell anyone anything. I don't want anyone to know."

He nodded. "I won't. There's no reason to, anyways. If you wanted to kill everyone, they'd already be dead, wouldn't they?"

"I-" Her uncovered hand began trembling, and she quickly pulled the glove back over it. "Of course."

Hans turned around to leave, but frowning, he said, "I've been wondering about something." He spoke without turning to look at her. "Did you kill your parents?"

He heard a small sigh, then she spoke. Her voice was as cold as her strange power. "Why wouldn't I kill them? What have they done for me?"

Surprised to hear that her voice was shaking, despite its tone, Hans quickly began walking away. He'd be much safer if he was farther away than this... this monster. Who knew who she'd strike next?


	10. Chapter 10: Crowning of the Queen

Author's Note:

Thank you everyone, for reading! Just one thing before you read, this fanfic will have its own version of Let it Go. If you want me to publish a full version, please let me know!

This story is rated T for dark content and some strong language, just so you know.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Frozen or any of its characters or plots, I only own my twists and changes!

* * *

As Elsa turned towards the crowd, her purple cape twisting gracefully behind her, Anna looked out at the people on the various church benches. She gave Hans a small wave, grinning, but he didn't seem to notice. He seemed to be completely focused on Elsa. She was a little disappointed that he didn't look at her, but that was all right. He was trying to pay attention to the ceremony, which was polite.

The priest carefully placed the crown on Elsa's head, and she smiled slightly. He then held out a red pillow, with the scepter and orb on them. She reached out to take them, but the priest whispered, "Your Majesty... the gloves." He looked down at them, and she frowned. She had to keep control... no, no more of the terrible things. She quickly pulled them off, putting them on the pillow, and picked up the scepter and orb, the metal cool to the touch. She turned to face the crowd, triumph alight in her eyes. The priest began chanting, and only Anna was close enough to Elsa to notice the ice crystals growing along Elsa's fingertips, beginning to grow along the orb and scepter.

The priest finished with, "Queen Elsa of Arendelle," and the people in the church repeated after him in one chant, as if lifting Elsa with their words. She turned back towards the priest, holding out the scepter and orb and placing them on the pillow once again. The priest seemed to notice the ice, but didn't say anything. Elsa picked up the gloves, beginning to put them on, then stopped and smiled. She handed them to her sister, saying, "Would you hold these for me?"

"Sure," Anna said, frowning as she felt the chill in the cloth. She looked inside them, and was startled to see that the entire inside of the glove was covered in frost. _And now that they're off... _She watched Elsa walk back down the aisle nervously. _No, I trust her, completely, _she thought to herself resolutely. _If she thinks she can handle it, then I trust her. _

Handling it was the last thing on Elsa's mind. She was finally _in control _of something, finally in charge, and no one could ever control her ever again. She would never be trapped, or hurt, or afraid ever again, now that she was on top. Everything was finally hers for the taking. The question was if she would be able to keep it.

A few hours later, as the musicians played a lively tune and dancers mingled in the center of the ballroom, Elsa watched with an air of triumphant superiority. She surveyed the ballroom, watching the various nobles circling and chatting. _How amusing they are, _she thought. _It's as if they have no cares. Look at how they dance... _

Anna slowly walked up to her. "Um... hi," she said nervously, blushing and looking at the floor. "Are- are you going to dance? It's really fun out on the dance floor. I was dancing with a duke earlier, he's... um, he's interesting." She laughed uneasily, looking at her sister.

"I'm glad you're having fun," Elsa said quietly, turning towards her, the corner of her mouth lifted. "But I don't dance."

"Oh. Okay." Anna stood in the same place for a few seconds, then quickly cleared her throat. "Um, I'll leave you to... not dancing, then."

Elsa watched her walk away. As Anna crossed the dance floor, she tripped on someone's leg and began falling towards the floor, but was smoothly caught by... Hans? _Where did he come from? And... when did he become so smooth? _Elsa thought as he swooped Anna into a dance. Soon enough, Hans led her out of the ballroom, and Elsa frowned. She wondered what he was doing with her out there...

It was about a half hour before Anna and Hans returned to the ballroom. Elsa was chatting cooly with a few diplomats who had come to witness the coronation. "Of course, I plan on introducing more agriculture to the kingdom," she said quietly. "We need to begin creating our own food source instead of depending on imports. I won't cease food trade completely, but it's only practical that we generate more food." Then as Anna approached, Elsa turned towards her and smiled.

"Elsa!" Anna said brightly. "I mean... Queen. Me again. Um, this is Hans, Prince of the Southern Isles."

Elsa forced a polite smile at Hans.

Anna continued, obviously overjoyed. "We would- we would like-"

"Your blessing-" Hans interrupted, then blushed.

Anna giggled, then continued. "On our marriage!"

Elsa froze. She stared at Anna for one second, two, three... and the thoughts usually racing through her mind froze in place.

_No. NO._

"Elsa?" Anna asked, frowning. "Are you okay?"

Recovering, Elsa cleared her throat. "Yes. I'm fine. Anna... I think we should talk. Alone."

But surprisingly, at least to Elsa, Anna resisted. "No. Whatever you have to say, you can say it to both of us."

"Anna..." She struggled for an excuse. "You can't marry a man you just met."

"We haven't just met!" she said, scowling. "We played together every summer for a few years. Besides, it's true love."

_I should have realized that. He would be friends with her as well. _"Anna, what would you know about true love?"

"More than you know! All you know is how to shut people out!"

Wait. She was talking about... when Elsa had been trapped? She thought Elsa had done that WILLINGLY? Her hands began shaking with rage. "If you think I would shut myself in a room for eight years on purpose and cut off all contact and stay away from my family, then what kind of idiot are you?! I was TRAPPED! Do you not remember that our mother and father SHUT ME IN THERE?!"

"I... I didn't believe it..." Anna said hesitantly.

"I didn't force you out, Anna, I NEVER did! I was the one forced out, forced away from the PERFECT family that you had! The little girl who had powers she couldn't control was SHOVED AWAY from the mommy, daddy, and daughter that were unblemished! I would never leave a family that LOVED me!"

With a final shriek, ice suddenly forced itself from her hands and shot across the room. Nobles screamed and tried to dodge the shots, but several people were hit, and soon, a slick film of rapidly paling blood was covering the marble floor.

Anna paled as she looked around, then turnes back to face her sister. "Elsa... what have you done?"


	11. Chapter 11: Chaos Erupts

Author's Note:

I apologize, it took WAY too long to get to writing this chapter, and it's pretty short, but I'll try and publish a longer one soon! Again, if you want a full version of the Let it Go of this fanfiction (an excerpt will appear in the actual fanfic), then let me know!

This story is rated T for dark content and some strong language, just so you know.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Frozen or any of its characters or plots, I only own my twists and changes!

* * *

Hans was the first to speak after a minute of silence. "Anna, you have to get out of here." A crowd of people was already running out of the ballroom. "GO!"

Reluctantly, Anna turned away and joined the crowd leaving. Elsa's shocked expression turned into a grin. "You can't expect that being on my sister's good side will protect you from me, can you?"

"I tried," he said quietly, beginning to pull out his sword.

Before he could, a bolt of ice shot out and plunged into his sword arm. He cried out as the ice pinned him to the wall. Elsa stepped forward slowly, a snowflake rotating in her hand. "I should have killed you when I killed everyone else in the tavern," she said in a low tone, her hand drawing back, ready to throw the rapidly forming icy spear.

As the end shaped into a sharp point, Hans shouted, "Wait, Elsa, please! Please, just give me one chance."

At that moment, he inched to the left, wincing at the pain in his arm, and she started at the sudden motion, her arm flinging the spear forward. He shrieked inhumanly as it pierced into his stomach. Blood gushed from the wound, and he gasped for breath, gazing right into his eyes. He looked for mercy, for pity, but there was nothing there but rage. The corners of her mouth turned upwards as she stared at him. "All right. I'll give you one more chance," she said quietly, her voice trembling. Why it was trembling, he had no idea, but from the look in her eyes, it wasn't a good reason. "If you survive _this_... then I won't try to kill you again." With glittering frost crawling up her pale arms, she turned and walked out of the ballroom, still wearing the quavering smile.

The rest of the nobility were in the town by now, frantically telling anyone they saw about the queen's strange power. Anna was running out of the ballroom, but she paused as she heard a chuckling behind her. Terrified, she turned to see the oncoming threat.

Snow swirled around Elsa in strange, twisting patterns, sparkling in the moonlight, a circle of ice forming on the ground around her. She chuckled as she looked at Anna. "Sister," she said quietly, but somehow, Anna heard every word clearly. "Why are you running? Don't you still want to build a snowman?"

Feeling a shiver of fear travel down her spine, Anna was frozen in place, watching as the oncoming storm approached. Suddenly, she felt a hand grab her arm, and a voice shouted, "Run!" She felt the hand pull her away from Elsa, and after a few seconds, she responded, turning and beginning to run. The person ahead of her was apparently dressed in furs and heavy winter clothing, strange for the warm summer night. Despite her lack of knowledge on the person, Anna continued to follow them, preferring a mysterious rescuer to her sister. She could feel snowflakes whizzing past her and wind rushing, and soon, she could hear screams behind them as they ran through the town. The fleeing pair quickly reached a sled, and the mysterious person turned, revealing a man with shaggy blond hair. "Get in, quick!" he said, climbing onto the driver's seat, and she quickly bounded up beside him. He grabbed the reins, and a reindeer nervously pawing at the ground harnessed to the sleigh snapped to attention as he flicked them. With another flick, they were off, rushing out of the kingdom.

"Who are you?!" Anna shouted as they flew down the street.

"Let's concentrate on escaping, all right?!" he yelled back. "I'll explain later!"

They quickly reached the edge of the forest surrounding the kingdom, and Anna looked back for a brief second. She could still hear screams in the distance, and she could see a whirlwind of snow surrounding the kingdom. _Elsa, why did you do this? _she thought to herself, not knowing that the worst was still to come.


	12. Chapter 12: Finally Free

Author's Note:

Yeah, I realize it's been about a week since the last chapter. I'm sorry, I've been really busy! I'll be publishing the full song of this fanfiction's version of Let it Go soon, so look out for that! I guess that's all I have to say, so enjoy the chapter!

This story is rated T for dark content and some strong language, just so you know.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Frozen or any of its characters and plot, I only own my twists and changes!

* * *

Why had she ever wanted a normal life? This was so much better, so fulfilling and so _right_. Elsa laughed as the people ran and screamed. Let them run, she didn't care if they ran anymore. Why should she? She was the one with the power, the one who could end any of their lives with a single sharp edge. She now had so much more control than she ever could have as a petty, cowering queen. She held their life and death in her hands. And for the moment, death reigned supreme.

As the snow swirled from her, she saw something out of the corner of her eye, something that glimmered in the white light from her created winter storm. She quickly turned towards it, and saw a guard, pointing a musket at her, his hands shaking with fear. She could see them all around her now, guards circling her, in various states of fear. She smirked at the guard, and his face paled as she shot forward a blast of ice from her hands. He fell to the ground, blood gushing from his chest. The other guards tightened their circle to make up for the newly emptied space, not seeming to want to help their wounded companion. The guard who had been hit writhed and shrieked on the ground as the blood streaming from him paled and slowed its flow. It was only a few seconds later when his movements slowed, then he went limp. His very skin seemed to be paling and crystallizing.

Shots began firing towards her, and an icy net spun itself like a web from her fingertips, surrounding her in a dome. Every shot rebounded off of it, and she laughed at their ineptitude. Then she forced the web to fly outwards, rushing into the guards and pushing them backwards. They were quickly standing again, however, and shooting at the thin shield, which was beginning to show cracks. Thoughts of escape began flying around in Elsa's mind, replacing the desire to kill and destroy. With a swipe of her hand, the web was cast aside, flying away from her in the strong wind as she began running. The guards didn't realize that she was gone until a few seconds later, and as soon as they did, they quickly began chasing after her footprints in the snow.

_Fools, _she thought as she commanded the snow to fill in her footprints behind her and make a false trail leading to the left. As it did so, she sprinted towards the forest. The wind rushed towards her from behind, propelling her forward at an immense speed, and she grinned as every step took her closer and closer to the trees.

Suddenly, she heard a voice shout behind her, a voice she never expected to hear again. "Elsa! Stop!"

"But..." She stopped, then slowly turned to see Hans, who was clutching his chest and standing shin deep in the snow. "Why didn't you die?!"

"You can't kill me," he said, his eyes as cold as her ice. "It should be easy to kill you, though."

Elsa began walking backwards, trying to retreat from his steady gaze, but he motioned with his hand and several guards seemed to materialize from the swirling snow around her. Looking around her, she let her eyes rest on Hans for a second, before they filled with glee. "Oh, Hans, you underestimate me if you think I can be stopped," she said quietly, snow forming in her hand. Then she threw the ball of snow at the ground, and from it, a large, snowy figure was blasted into existence. It looked vaguely humanoid, with a large build and icy spikes in a trail down its back and arms. It roared at the guards, and the spikes jumped upwards. Elsa quickly turned and began running once again as the snow golem began attacking Hans and his posse.

With the wind at her back and the snow forming easy steps underneath her, it was only minutes before she was near the summit of the north mountain. The snow had calmed around her into a steady downfall instead of a shrieking whirlwind. She looked down at the kingdom below her, surprised to see that most of it was blanketed in white. Had she really had that much of an effect? The sight pleased her immensely, and she grinned down at what her wrath had created. Still, Anna was probably down there. Was she in danger? And if she was-

No. Elsa didn't care about her sister anymore. She was done caring about people, it only got in the way. "Love belongs in the past..." she sang quietly, almost whimsically, before realizing that it was to part of the tune her mother had once hummed to her. Something almost stopped her singing there, maybe respect to the memory of her mother, maybe a shred of decency left in her that didn't want to use her mother's melody for her own twisted purposes. But she couldn't help but continue.

"Let them go," she sang quietly, "let them go... can't hold this back anymore." A smile grew on her face. "Let them go... let them go... I finally have control..." Playfully, she let ice grow between her fingertips, forming curlicue shapes in the air.

She almost shouted, "I don't care what they used to say!" as she flung frost from her hands at the snow, grinning wildly. The frost swirled upwards, flowing with the wind, as she tore off her cape and cast it aside. "Let the storm rage on..." She looked down at the kingdom below, then laughed once before turning away.

"Their fright never bothered me anyway."


	13. Let Them Go

I couldn't help myself, I had to post it right away. Enjoy!

* * *

The mountain top is peaceful tonight  
Not showing the fear below  
And I finally can start anew  
On this untouched blanket of snow  
I fully exposed the chaotic storm inside  
Didn't force it out, didn't have to try  
I showed it off, I let them see  
The rage inside that is just beneath  
I got to feel, I let it show  
Now they all know  
So...

Let them go, let them go  
Can't hold this back anymore  
Let them go, let them go  
I finally have control  
I don't care what they used to say  
Let the storm rage on...  
Their fright never bothered me anyway

It's funny how disaster  
Makes my problems seem small  
And the people who controlled me  
Have now taken the fall  
It's time to see what they can do  
Now that I've let the storm show through  
Let them all try, let them march on  
Bring it on

Let them go, let them go  
Let all the people die  
Let them go, let them go  
Let clouds darken the sky  
Here my stand will soon be made  
Let the storm rage on

It's a wonder they don't feel tremors in the ground  
Soon I will control everything, and winter will abound  
And one thought pushes me to make the violence last  
Life will never be the same...  
Love belongs in the past

Let them go, let them go  
The people are my pawns  
Let them go, let them go  
All my mercy is gone  
Here I stand on my glory day  
Let winter take all  
Their fright never bothered me anyway


	14. Chapter 13: Fleeing Wolves

Author's Note:

I hope you all liked the version of Let it Go! Hopefully, I can do more add-on tidbits like that in the future. For now, enjoy the chapter!

This story is rated T for dark content and some strong language, just so you know.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Frozen or any of its characters or plots, I only own my twists and changes!

* * *

"So who are you?" Anna said, turning towards her strange rescuer.

He frowned as he kept looking ahead, the reindeer going at a slower pace now than their initial escape. "I'm Kristoff," he replied.

"Uh-huh. And why were you near the castle in... winter gear?" she said, surveying him up and down.

"Because I knew about your sister. And we thought she would do something violent today, she had the perfect opportunity."

She raised an eyebrow. "Who's 'we', you and the reindeer?"

"Sven?" He laughed. "No, me and the trolls." Kristoff then frowned and studied her. "Do you not remember the trolls?"

"No... should I remember trolls?"

"They thought your memory would come back by now." He shook his head. "Haven't you ever wondered how you got that scar?"

Suspiciously, Anna touched the long, jagged scar on her forehead that was now faded and white from time. "What do you mean? It was a sledding accident."

"No... it was Elsa."

"What?" Anna gasped and stared at him. "You can't be serious. She wouldn't do this. I was so young, she wouldn't do it when we were just kids..."

"From what I know, it was an accident. But she still did it." Suddenly, he straightened in the seat and surveyed the trees around them. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Then she heard it- a low, long howl coming from behind. She slowly turned in her seat, and behind the sled, she could see gleaming eyes on the dark.

Quickly, Kristoff flicked the reins, and Sven was off at a sprint through the woods. Both Anna and Kristoff could hear the yapping and yowling of wolves behind them, getting closer and closer. Kristoff stood and turned in the seat towards the back, climbing to the back of the sled and grabbing an ice pick. "Stay there!" he said, leaning over the back and preparing to hit one of the wolves.

"Like hell I will!" she shouted over the sound of the bounding hooves and barking. With that, she half jumped, half tripped over the back of the driver's seat into the back of the sled. She then righted herself and looked for some sort of weapon in the cluttered mass of objects. Finally, she found a snow shoe and grabbed the end, then leaned outwards and began swinging at the wolves. Their pursuers were being wary of Kristoff's ice pick, but one of them simply latched onto the snow shoe with its teeth and she let go almost immediately. She turned back to look for something else, but her eyes widened as she saw what was ahead. "Kristoff!" she shouted, pointing towards it.

He paled at the sight of the oncoming cliff. Quickly, he tucked the ice pick into his belt and climbed back up to the driver's seat. "Faster, Sven!" he shouted as Anna climbed up next to him.

"We can't possibly make it across!" she yelled, fear quickly flooding across her face.

He frowned, then gestured towards the reindeer. "Get on his back, right now!" he ordered, flicking the reins once again.

She hesitated for a second, then followed his orders, recklessly jumping onto his back. She almost slid off immediately, but she grabbed onto his harness to stabilize herself. Seconds before they reached the gap, Kristoff cut the ropes holding Sven to the sled, and the reindeer, with Anna on his back, leaped forward into the air. He easily got to the other side, and Anna turned to watch as Kristoff jumped off of the sled.

_He's not going to make it across, _she realized, and quickly slid off of Sven's back, running back towards the edge. Kristoff, only a foot away from the edge, began falling downwards, and Anna quickly reached outwards. Their hands quickly clung together, and Anna struggled to keep holding onto him as their grip began slipping. Then she felt Sven's warm fur under her other hand, and she quickly grabbed onto him, using him as an anchor. With a snort, Sven began walking away from the edge, pulling Kristoff to safety.

As soon as he was fully on the snowy ground, he chuckled. "What a ride, huh?" he said, standing up and brushing the snow off of him.

Anna couldn't help but giggle as well. "That was actually kinda fun," she said, looking back at the wolves, who were gradually turning away from the edge and running back into the forest. "It could've gone a lot worse, though."

"It could've. But it didn't." He smiled, then it gradually faded as he looked back down at the kingdom. "Of course, there is the question of what to do now."

Looking down the cliff, Anna saw the broken ruins of Kristoff's sled, lying in the snow. "I'll replace your sled when this is all over," she said apologetically.

He shook his head, still looking at the kingdom. "I'm not sure this is going to end anytime soon. I'm not even sure if this will end at all."


	15. Chapter 14: Blue Light

Author's Note:

Thank you so much, everyone, for reading! I'm really sorry it's taken so long, and I'll definitely try to be quicker with the next chapter. Enjoy!

This story is rated T for dark content and some strong language, just so you know.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Frozen or any of its characters or plots, I only own my twists and changes!

* * *

"Make sure that there's guards posted around the entire kingdom," Hans ordered. "We can't let her back in."

The guard nodded, then walked away, beginning to relay the orders. The prince, still in his white uniform, walked back to the castle at a brisk rate. Since both princesses had disappeared, Hans had assumed leadership of the kingdom. Of course, Anna would be put in charge once again, if she came back. Hans doubted she would. She had probably joined the rapidly growing death count when Elsa had initially attacked.

But surprisingly, despite the fact that Elsa was gone, there were still people dying. Hans had quickly found out that even if people only had tiny scratches from the ice, they would still become statues eventually. Granted, the process was slower, but it was just as deadly as being stabbed.

_I was stabbed by her so many times, _he thought to himself as he walked through a hallway. _Yet I didn't die. Why? _

He was passing by one of the ornate mirrors in the hallway when he saw, out of the corner of his eye, something glowing blue. He stopped, then stepped backwards and turned fully towards the mirror. His eyes widened as he saw the vibrant, light blue light radiating from where his heart was. Carefully, he raised his hand and tapped it, but he couldn't feel anything except a strange coldness in the tips of his finger. He quickly unbuttoned and shrugged off his military coat and pulled down the collar of the formal shirt underneath to reveal where the light was coming from.

Quietly, he gasped as he looked at the light in the mirror. It seemed to be glowing through his skin from underneath. _But what could be under there? _he thought to himself. Then he suddenly remembered that day years ago, when Ella had shot ice into his heart. _Is that... her ice?_

"Prince Hans?" a guard called, his quiet footsteps on the carpet coming closer and closer.

Hans quickly pulled up his collar and yanked on his coat. He was buttoning it up when the guard saw him. "Yes, what is it?" he said.

The guard frowned nervously. "You should see this," he said, then began leading the way out of the castle. Hans followed him out, then looked at where the guard was pointing. Something was glowing and forming on the side of the mountain... and he knew exactly who was doing it.

"Get the rest of the guards ready," he ordered, frowning determinedly. "We're going up to that mountain."

Elsa shrieked with laughter as the pillars of ice formed around her. They bridged high above her, forming a cathedral-like ceiling, a glittering chandelier extending from it. "Life will never be the same," she sung, pausing as she pulled the delicate crown from her hair. She held it in her hand, then crystals grew from her palm, driving themselves through the gaps in the metal and twisting, pulling the crown apart. A wide grin grew on her face, and she flung the curled remains of the crown at one of her new icy walls. "Love belongs in the PAST!" she shouted upwards, letting snow fall from the ceiling in tiny flakes.

Outside, a small snowman, newly formed in the fresh powder, twitched slightly. Its stick arms began rotating in their imaginary sockets, and the coal used for his eyes rolled off of his misshapen face. In their place, eyelids slowly opened, and large, black eyes looked out at the mountain and up at the growing castle. Olaf could hear his creator singing, and he smiled at the sound. He thought it was beautiful, of course. Anything created by Elsa was beautiful to him. The snow falling around him glistened in the moonlight, and he chuckled as he twirled in it. Then his eyes turned below, to the slope of the mountain, which was dotted with pine trees and interrupted by jagged rocks and boulders. His little mind echoed with one word, and it continued rattling around in his head as he began walking down the mountain, whistling Elsa's melody.

_Anna._


	16. Chapter 15: Meeting a Snowman

Author's Note:

Hey, everyone! Hope you enjoy the chapter! I thought I'd do something a bit more light-hearted.

This story is rated T for dark content and some strong language, just so you know.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Frozen or any of its characters or plots, I only own my twists and changes!

* * *

Snow whirled around Anna and Kristoff while they sat near the fire Kristoff had started about an hour ago. It was still going, despite the wind's attempts to put it out. The storm was a bit calmer than it had been a few hours earlier, but the weather was still freezing, and Anna's only protection from it was her green dress. She shivered as she looked into the fire, wondering how things had spiraled downhill so quickly.

"Here," Kristoff said gently, taking off his thick overcoat. He had a thinner jacket underneath, but he still looked comfortable in the cold.

Smiling, Anna took the coat from him and quickly put it on. "Thanks," she said quietly. The coat was heavier than she expected, but the warmth was certainly welcome. "You sure you'll be all right without it?"

He chuckled. "I'm in the snow all the time. I was a bit overprepared for tonight."

"Well, not too overprepared. Something did happen." The subject of what her sister had done still made her uneasy. She'd rather not go into specifics.

As if understanding her thought, Kristoff nodded, then looked back into the fire. He seemed occupied in his own thoughts, frowning and gazing into the only light for miles. They couldn't see the kingdom anymore, since it was obscured by the thick veil of snow, so it felt like the world ended where the light did, and beyond the world was only the harshness of a blizzard.

Suddenly, Anna heard a shuffle nearby, and turned to her left to see it. Kristoff, who was on her right, was still looking into the fire. He didn't seem to have noticed that anything had happened. She stood slowly, trying to see whatever was moving. It was hard to see it, but eventually, she could distinguish something moving amid the storm, something small and white.

Kristoff noticed she had stood and looked where she was staring worriedly. "What is it?"

"I think there's something out there," she explained. Cautiously, she called out to whatever it was. "Hello?"

"Hi there!" was what they heard. Something had said it cheerfully back towards them, and as Anna squinted, she could see it coming closer. "I've been looking for you!" it called once again, and then it appeared in the light from the flames. It appeared to be... a small, waist-height snowman. Its head was an irregular shape, as if a child had tried to form an oval but couldn't quite achieve it. The strangest thing about it was that it had... real eyes. They were large and had dark irises, which almost blended into the pupil, making it look... creepy. But the expression on its face was cheerful as it looked over the two people and the reindeer near the fire. The snowman happily shuffled towards them, and instinctually, Anna backed away. "What's wrong?" it asked, a little hurt registering in its round eyes. "Don't you remember me?"

Now that Anna took a closer look... yes, she did remember this snowman. Her eyes widened as she asked, "Olaf? Is that you?"

"Who's Olaf?" Kristoff asked, standing next to her.

"I am!" the snowman exclaimed, grinning. "I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs!" He extended his twig arms, then looked out at the snow. "Well, I guess you can't give warm hugs in this storm, can you?" he said, giggling.

Anna hesitantly stepped forward, towards the strange little man of snow. "Did Elsa make you?" she asked cautiously.

"Yup!" he said. "I came to find you. Elsa wants to see you! But I don't think she realizes it."

"Really?" Anna was surprised to see the apparent wisdom in the snowman's eyes. "Well... okay. Can you take me to her?"

"Anna, you can't possibly go to her!" Kristoff exclaimed. He stepped forward, the light of the fire illuminating the worry etched in his features. She was surprised at the expression. "Don't you realize she's dangerous?"

She nodded. "I do, but... someone has to fix this. And maybe I can talk her into stopping the storm."

"But..." He hesitated, then sighed. "I guess if there's a chance we can talk her out of it... but we have to be extremely careful. All right?"

"Of course we will be," Anna said, smiling. "We should go right away!"

He frowned. "Maybe we should get some rest first. Okay?" Looking suspicious, but accepting, he turned towards Olaf. "You can stay here with us, if you want. We'll head out in the morning."

Anna nodded, then sat back down on the log. Kristoff settled next to her, and Olaf walked up to them, sitting next to the log and humming to himself. "You know, I really like music," he said cheerfully, then saw a lute near Sven. "Hey! Does the reindeer know any songs?" he asked.

Kristoff chuckled. "No, but I do." He walked over to it, then picked it up and sat back down on the log. "I usually keep it strapped on my back. Good thing, because of the sleigh." With a smile, he gave a few practice strums. "I guess I could play something."

"Ooh, yay!" Olaf exclaimed, scooting closer to the bench. He really was very childlike, with his large eyes fixated on Kristoff.

"I made up this one," he said, then began strumming. A few chords in, he began singing. Anna was surprised that his voice was that smooth. She had expected someone like him to have a rougher voice, but it was actually very pleasant. He began with "Reindeers are better than people..." and Olaf giggled as Kristoff imitated his reindeer's voice goofily. Anna laughed along as well, clapping as he finished.

"That was great!" she said, feeling her mood rise. "You made that up yourself?"

Kristoff was blushing slightly, and he nodded. "I usually just do it when Sven and I are by ourselves... which is most of the time." Looking out at the snow, he realized how dark it was. "We should probably get some sleep if we're going to go to Elsa tomorrow."

Reluctantly, Anna nodded, shifting on the log. "Okay. Good night."

"Good night!" Olaf exclaimed, then curled up in the snow. He appeared to be comfortable there, because within seconds, he was lightly snoring.

Anna tried to get comfortable on the log, but it was difficult with the rough wood beneath her. After a minute or two, Kristoff said, "Um... you can lean on me, if you want," he said. She nodded gratefully and smiled up at him, then leaned against him and closed her eyes. The last thing she saw before dropping off was the flickering fire in front of them and its strange orange light against the snow.


	17. Chapter 16: The Queen's Palace

Author's Note:

Just so you guys know, I'll be heading back into school soon, so it'll be more difficult for me to get out chapters of both of my current stories. I'll try to get them out often, but if my releasing slows, that's why.

This story is rated T for dark content and some strong language, just so you know.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Frozen or any of its characters or plots, I only own my twists and changes!

* * *

"Are you sure he knows where he's going?!" Kristoff shouted over the whooshing of the wind. Both he and Anna were shivering now, almost completely soaked through from the whirling snow.

Anna looked back at him, her eyes full of confidence. "Of course! He said so, didn't he? Why would he lie?"

"Because maybe he was sent by Elsa to kill us?" he mumbled under his breath, but Anna didn't hear any of it, continuing forward into the almost blinding snow. Kristoff was holding on to one of Sven's antlers, guiding the reindeer and hoping that wherever they were going, they'd be there soon.

Suddenly, the snow calmed around them, into a twirling, gentle fall from above. Kristoff could now clearly see Anna in front of him, who had several white flakes in her orange hair. Olaf was laughing as he looked around. "It's so pretty!" he said, then turned away from the humans who had been following and gasped. "There it is!" he said with excitement, pointing.

Kristoff looked up where the snowman had pointed, then his eyes widened with awe. In front of them was a large, glittering staircase twirling upwards towards a huge palace of ice. It gracefully ascended from its base anchored in the mountain, with a large set of double doors engraved with a snowflake in them in front. The whole thing was tinted a rosy red, standing out drastically against the mountain. However, it wouldn't be the easiest thing to spot, since the entire mountain besides the area immediately around the castle was snowing heavily. Anna was already climbing up the staircase, and he quickly told Sven to stay, then followed her upwards. Olaf climbed the stairs with them, giggling as he slipped occasionally on the slick staircase.

Ahead of them, Anna reached the door, and she paused in front of the double doors, then knocked five times on the ice. It chimed once into the air, a trembling, clear note echoing across the mountainside. Then it swung open slowly, and she peeked inwards hesitantly. "Wow," she breathed as she saw what appeared to be the main entrance. A large fountain, frozen in midair in a twisting pattern, was in the center of the hall. The walls had clusters jagged spikes thrusting from them. Pierced on one of these large clumps of spikes was shreds of fabric... wait, was this Elsa's dress? Anna hesitantly walked into the room, then up to the mass of shredded fabric. From what she could tell, it was Elsa's clothing. And she could see a glint inside the wall. Leaning in close, she could vaguely see through the reddish clouded ice the jagged remains of what seemed to be Elsa's tiara.

"Anna," a voice echoed through the room, and Anna looked around, then upwards when she realized where it was coming from. Elsa was standing on a balcony above, her hair now in a braid down her shoulder and her dress... was it... made of ice? It was completely opaque, which removed one of the concerns from Anna's mind, and the bodice was crystalline and glittering, and the skirt was about knee length and shimmering slightly. There was a long train behind her that was so transparent, it looked like it would shatter with a single touch, like a thin curtain of ice. The entire dress was tinted that strange red color, which made Elsa's skin look almost unearthly and almost... not human.

After a few seconds of Elsa's almost clear eyes looking down at Anna, she quietly said, "I didn't think you'd find your way here. I tried to keep you from coming."

"What?" Anna asked, frowning. "Olaf said... well... he said you wanted me here."

"Olaf?" Elsa asked, an eyebrow raised.

Something about her expression scared Anna. It seemed like even though it was blank, it was full of... inhuman malice, almost like an animal. As she stood there, she felt a warm hand gently place itself on her shoulder, and she looked back to see Kristoff's comforting face. She smiled back at him, then turned towards Elsa again, taking a deep breath before responding. "He's the one who took us here."

"Hi!" Olaf said, slipping forward on the icy floor, waving up at Elsa. "I'm Olaf!"

Elsa began descending on an icy staircase leading from the balcony to the entrance, looking down at the little group. "I didn't know you'd come to life," she said cautiously.

Olaf grinned at her. "I did, though!" he said, beginning to amble towards the end of the staircase.

As he did, Elsa backed slightly, almost skittishly, staring at him. "I didn't know I could do that," she whispered.

"Do... do you like me?" the snowman asked shyly.

She paused, then a smile crept across her face. "Yes. I do. Very much." She descended the rest of the staircase, then stood in front of Olaf, kneeling next to him to study him. "Aren't you adorable," she said quietly. "I like you."

He beamed with pride, then opened his stick arms and rushed towards Elsa, enveloping her in a hug. Her eyes widened with shock, and her hands opened to reveal ice forming in her palms, a seemingly instinctual move, but then when she realized what he was doing, her hands relaxed. An expression of wonder flickered over her face, and slowly, her arms formed a hug around the little snowman.

After a minute or two, she loosened her grip and stood, turning slowly towards Anna and Kristoff. "Why would you come here?" she said, cocking her head slightly. "I'm a danger to you..."

"Because..." Anna hesitated, then the answer burst out of her mouth almost involuntarily. "Because you're my sister."

"And? What does that mean?"

Quietly, Anna took Kristoff's hand, then said, "I want you to stop this. To... stop the storm, get rid of the snow, and... stop killing."

Elsa's eyes flashed dangerously, and she stepped forward. "Stop?" Her eyes seemed to glow in the red light from the castle. "Don't you see? I _can't _stop this, Anna."

"Don't you know how?"

"Let me rephrase." Frost began crawling eagerly across her skin, spreading from her palms and upward to her arms. "I _won't._"


	18. Chapter 17: Another Frozen Heart

Author's Note:

Sorry I haven't posted recently. I've been celebrating the last days of vacation before school and haven't had time to write. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

This story is rated T for dark content and some strong language, just so you know.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Frozen or any of its characters or plots, I only own my twists and changes!

* * *

Kristoff immediately realized that this had become a dangerous situation. He quietly took Anna's hand, then began backing up. "Anna..." he whispered worriedly.

Instead of following his lead, she responded to her sister, confusion quavering in her voice. "Why won't you stop this?"

"This... this is part of me, Anna." Elsa gestured wildly at the ice around her, which was looking more and more blood-tinged as time went by. "I can't get rid of this, it's PART of me!"

"Anna, we have to go," Kristoff urgently said, gesturing towards the open double doors.

She let go of Kristoff's hand, then stepped towards Elsa. "But... it's killing people..." she whimpered.

"Do you think I don't KNOW THAT?!" Ice was rapidly forming in Elsa's hands, and her eyes seemed to be becoming clearer and colder. "This kingdom is _poisoned, _Anna. With the lies and the deceit and their willingness to ignore what's RIGHT in front of them, even if what they're seeing is WRONG!" She paused and looked right into the frightened younger princess's eyes. "We have to cure them..." Her voice was shaking, as were her hands. "We have to cure the kingdom. Anna. Please. Help me do it." Elsa's face was full of more desperation than fury, not what Kristoff expected, and she slowly reached out one of her hands, which was coated in a thin layer of ice, towards Anna. "Help me."

Anna was obviously torn. She looked between Elsa, the sister clothed in her deadly magical ice, and Kristoff, her rescuer who she had only known for a day. Her eyes darted back and forth, then they settled on Elsa, full of determination. "I can't help kill anyone," she said, frowning. "No, not can't. I won't."

"But..." The double doors slammed shut, and Elsa's eyes flashed with anger. "You're turning your back against me. I thought you would always be THERE for me!" As she shouted, ice flew from her hands and embedded itself in the walls. Anna shrieked, and Kristoff quickly pulled her backwards, looking around for an escape. Olaf just watched as the chaos unfolded, a goofy grin on his face, which terrified both Anna and Kristoff. Elsa continued, her voice trembling with rage. "I thought you were my sister! I thought you would understand!" Ice continued to fly out from her hands wildly. "Don't you realize that I NEED THIS?! I NEED THE STORM!"

Then shards of ice flew from her fingertips once more, and Anna screamed as a single spike flew into her back, and within seconds, she has collapsed onto the ground. Kristoff was quickly at her side, his face paling. He could faintly hear Sven braying from the other side of the doors. "Anna! Anna, are you okay?!" he said, then gasped as blood slowly began flowing from the wound, unnaturally pale and almost pink. He quickly pulled the coat off of her shoulders, then bunched it up and pressed it against the wound.

Anna's head rose slowly, and she looked at Kristoff, frowning. "She... she hit me?" was what she said first.

"You'll be okay, I just need to stop the bleeding-" Kristoff began. Then he looked at the wound and his eyes widened. The flow of blood had stopped on its own, with only the stain on his coat and her dress to show it had ever happened. Even the wound itself had closed, and only a faint scar remained.

"She hit me." Anna's voice was surprisingly cold. She sat up, her head turning towards Elsa. Kristoff noticed that there was a strange blue glow near where he would think her heart was. She stood, then glared at her sister, who was staring at Anna in shock. "I guess you really are _insane,_" Anna spat.

Elsa's eyes widened with horror. "What... how..."

"You'd rather kill your sister than her refuse to help you kill others. You hit me. You almost murdered me." Her voice was strangely sharp and cruel. "I didn't want to think you were an insane monster, but I guess I was just deluding myself."

Anna continued talking, and as she did, with Elsa watching in horror, Kristoff quickly went to the double doors. "Sven!" he yelled through them. "Sven, buddy, break through!" A few seconds later, he saw a large shape through the ice, and backed up from the doors. There was a large thump, and several cracks appeared in the ice. "Again!" he shouted, and with a large crash, the ice shattered in front of him. He quickly covered his face with his hands, protecting himself from the flying shards. Sven brayed loudly, looking around the room.

"You're crazy," Anna whispered, then turned away from her sister.

Obviously shocked, Elsa began walking after Anna. "What- but- how did you-"

Anna whirled around and glared at Elsa. "STOP!" she yelled, and Kristoff turned to see her defiantly staring at her obviously more powerful sister, not even nervous. "If you try to kill me, then you're not getting any second chances." She turned once more, then walked towards Kristoff.

Not knowing what else to do, he said, "Hurry, let's go." He could see the rage returning to the queen's face, and he swung onto Sven. He then lifted Anna up easily, and pulled Sven's reins. The reindeer quickly rotated back towards the mountain outside and began running, slipping clumsily on the icy steps, but successfully making it to the other side.

"So what do we do now?" Olaf asked cheerfully, looking up at Elsa.

She hadn't realized that the snowman had stayed. Absentmindedly, she patted his head with her frost-covered hand, watching as Sven ran away through the trees. "We get ready," she whispered. "To kill them all."

"Okay!" Olaf said, taking her hand with his stick. He grinned widely. "Let's go kill some people!"


	19. Chapter 18: Elsa's Play Palace

Author's Note:

Hope you guys enjoyed the last chapter! Remember, if you have any suggestions or critiques, feel free to leave a review. Who doesn't love getting advice about their writing? :) It would be really helpful if you guys could give critiques. This is certainly not the final polished version of this story, I'll probably be making changes and updating it. Thanks! Enjoy the chapter!

This story is rated T for dark content and some strong language, just so you know.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Frozen or any of its characters or plots, I only own my twists and changes!

* * *

"Anna, what is going on?!" Kristoff looked at the sullen Anna, who was sitting in front of him on Sven. She was shivering quite a bit, and occasionally shooting glares at him. He was actually worried about it. "You're fine, right?"

"No, I'm NOT fine," she said quietly. There was still a strange blue glow emitting from her chest. "I'm too cold. Aren't there any more blankets here?"

Carefully, Kristoff pulled off his glove and took her hand, almost dropping it as he felt the freezing temperature. "Something's wrong," he said, paling. "Sven, we need to get to the trolls. Right now."

The reindeer brayed, then increased his speed, leaping across the snow-covered landscape, heading down the mountain and away from the kingdom. "Where are the trolls?" Anna asked, scowling. "How long is this going to take?"

"It might be a while, but we'll hurry," he said, wondering what could possibly make her act this way. Hopefully, the trolls would know what to do.

"It should be just over this ridge, sir," one of the guards said, pointing forwards.

Hans nodded, wondering how he'd defeat Elsa. He'd have to be smart about it. Maybe he could send one group in the front, another in the back... no, too obvious. There was strength in numbers, but maybe if each guard went individually and tried to sneak in...

"Sir?" One of the two soldiers volunteered by a trade minister who had been at the dance spoke up. "What are our orders?"

"The plan is..." Hans thought for a second, then spoke. "We'll have an initial assault team, using primarily long-range weapons. Use your crossbows, and remember to keep your torches." Each fighter on the team to hunt down Elsa was holding a lit torch, including Hans. "Use it just in case. Then if you can, separate from the group and try to get behind her."

The guards quickly replied with, "Yes, sir," as a collective whole. The volunteered soldiers nodded to the plan, and Hans continued riding ahead. Soon, he could see something over the hill, something red that showed obviously against the mountain. It appeared to be made out of glass, but after closer inspection, frost could be seen coating it in elegant, swirling patterns. The whole thing was opaque and impossible to see through, so he had no way of knowing where in there Elsa would be, or if she would be in there at all. It was a few minutes later when they reached the palace. Most of the guard's eyes widened as they saw the grand building that appeared to belong on the side of this mountain. Hans... he wasn't surprised that she could do something like this.

_"You wanna see something?" the young, white-blond girl said, looking eagerly at the boy next to her. _

_Hans grinned at her. "Okay!" he said. _

_They were both in Elsa's room, with the shattered window and icy spikes growing from the walls. Neither child appeared to be worried about them, though, acting as if the ice belonged in a bedroom as much as a bed. Biting her lip with concentration, Elsa held her palms over the floor, and clear ice began growing upwards from below, forming tiny detailed pillars and towers and balconies. After a few minutes, the miniature palace was complete, a frozen play castle. Two small figurines of ice appeared next to the castle, one appearing to be shaped like a young girl and the other a boy in a coat, the coat made white by a layer of frost._

_"Wow," Hans said, picking up the figurine of himself, looking at it. "This is beautiful."_

_Elsa was focusing on the palace itself. She smiled wistfully and said, "Someday, I'm going to build a palace just like this one. Then we won't have to play in here. We can play in a big castle." She looked up into Hans's eyes. "Will you play with me in my castle?"_

_"Of course," he said, scooting closer to her. _

The memory vanished from Hans's mind as he regarded the palace before him. It was architecturally the same, but the mood of it... it was all wrong. This wasn't the innocent castle from his youth, this was something monstrous. "Let's go," he said, slipping off of his horse. "We should kill her by sunset. The sooner she's dead, the better."


	20. Chapter 19: Fire and Ice

Author's Note:

Hey, everyone! This story is now also on Wattpad at this link:  
67641031-frozen-hearts-shattered-minds?utm_source=web&utm_medium=link&utm_content=share_reading&ref_id=4591929

It'll take a while to put all of the chapters on there, but I'll get it done, and then I'll get to releasing on both sites at the same time. Until then, why don't you go check me out on Wattpad? :) Hope you enjoy the chapter!

This story is rated T for dark content and some strong language, just so you know.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Frozen or any of its characters or plots, I only own my twists and changes!

* * *

The castle stood impressive and stretching upwards in front of them. It seemed to warp and thrum with the rhythm of their footsteps on the crunching snow, and Hans wondered if he was imagining the strange, slow twisting of the red pillars. Their horses seemed agitated as they approached. Soon, they reached the foot of the icy staircase, and looked upwards at the castle, dismounting their steeds. Hans led the way upwards, a sword in one hand, a flaming torch in the other.

Elsa's hands swirled upwards as they created the huge golem in front of her. Icy, curled spikes extended down his back and over his head, and its white snowy skin glistened in the surrounding red light. It grew upwards from the ground, large and strong, the perfect protector. With a hand on its forehead, its eyes blinked open, a glowing blue, and it turned to face her fully. A smile curled across her face, and she placed her hand on its arm. "You'll protect me... right?" she said quietly.

Slowly, its crooked mouth opened, revealing stumpy teeth, and it responded in a gravelly voice. "I... protect... Elsa."

"Yay!" Olaf said, rushing up to the golem and hugging its leg excitedly. His eyes were bright with glee as he looked up at it, then at Elsa. "What will his name be?"

She thought for a second, then said, "We'll call him... Boulder. How about that? It certainly suits him."

The short snowman chuckled, then took her hand, grinning. "I think someone's at the door," he said.

Sure enough, she heard the chiming of the double doors a second later. "Why don't we go greet them?" She grinned back at Olaf, leading him out to the balcony, with Boulder following.

Hans walked into the castle, looking around warily. It was strangely dark, and the walls seemed to be pulsing, almost like... the thought repulsed him, but he couldn't help but realize that the red walls looked like a beating heart. He heard clicking against the ice from above, and as he looked upwards, he gasped with the guards who were behind him. It was Elsa, wearing some sort of crystalline dress, a stubby snowman at her side and a gargantuan one behind her. "Hello, Hans," she said quietly, but the sound was carried downwards so well that he could hear it perfectly.

Slowly, he lifted his sword. "I'm sorry about this. But you leave us no choice." The words were spoken with no emotion or empathy of any kind. It was only a calculated cruelty. The guards pulled out their crossbows and lit the ends of the bolts, then quickly fired.

Elsa quickly backed away from the edge of the balcony and ducked behind a wall as bolts shot towards them. Olaf cried out as one went into his small, round stomach, and Elsa dragged him backward under cover. The area around where he was hit was melting quickly, so she yanked it out, wincing at the heat she could feel. It made her skin tingle strangely, and she frowned, studying it. Though the fire was put out by Olaf's snow, the warmth in the bolt still caused pain... imagine what fire would feel like.

Boulder roared as bolts shot into him, but instead of letting them faze him, he hurled himself downwards and in front of Hans's men. He then began slamming at the guards with his huge, powerful arms. Wherever the spikes along them cut the skin, blood gushed out and immediately began paling. Hans rushed forward and sliced at the monster, but it did no damage to the thickly packed snow, which obviously surprised him. The prince backed up to the doorway, and the golem ignored him, focusing on the men who were still firing crossbow bolts. There were areas of him that were slowly melting, but it didn't do much against the huge amount of snow.

Then Hans quickly gestured towards someone who was apparently still behind him on the staircase. A soldier in a different sort of uniform, which Elsa realized was from a different kingdom, quickly stepped forward, holding a bucket and a torch. Hans looked in the bucket, then smirked slightly and looked up at Elsa as he dipped the tip of his sword into the bucket. He pulled it out, black and dripping, from what she realized was oil. Then Hans held his own torch up to it, and suddenly, it was a flaming blade.

Hans could feel a strange tingling in his fingers near the swords, but he blamed it on previously cold joints being suddenly warmed. He wasn't worried about being burned, since only the tip was ignited. Laughing coldly, he stepped up to the large golem. It roared and swung at him, but he quickly dodged and sank the point of the sword in the golem, then sliced back and forth. It shrieked loudly, falling backwards and dislodging the sword from the huge slice in its chest. The snow was melting quickly now, and red-tinged water poured onto the floor. Hans ignored the golem, which was now twitching on the floor, and grabbed the bucket from the soldier.

"We need to go, Olaf," Elsa said quickly, taking the hand of the snowman. His snow had apparently stopped melting, the heat of the bolt gone, so he shuffled happily along with her as she ran down the stairs. But she froze as Hans began walking towards the end of the stairs, bucket still in hand, his sword dropped on the floor and melting a hole in the ice. "Hans, please," she said, backing away from him.

He ignored her plea, tossing the remaining oil in the bucket on the staircase. He quickly backed away from it as it spilled downwards and across the main hall's floor, creating a thin layer of pitch black sludge. His boots were still pristine and untouched by oil as he retreated to the double doors, then grinned at Elsa. "This is what happens to monsters like you," he said, taking a torch from the soldier behind him. Without hesitation, he threw it onto the oil slicked ground, quickly backing up as flames erupted. As he turned to go back down the icy staircase, he yelled a final, "This is what happens!"

"What do we do now?" Olaf asked curiously.

Elsa was frozen with shock on the stairway as she saw Boulder, who was still on the floor, encased by the flames. He soon dwindled away, gone with the fire's creation. She could feel the heat in the room rise, causing a vague ache on her skin. "We..." she began, looking at where Boulder used to lie on the floor, then at the rising flames. "We... we..." Pain from the heat and from the loss of her golem was filling her with agony.

She contemplated ending everything, throwing herself into the flames to be spared from this cruel world that had never wanted her. But then she looked down at Olaf's adorable face, at his stick in her hand, and she came to a decision. "We're getting out... then we're getting our revenge."


	21. Chapter 20: Ruined by Flame

Author's Note:

Hey, guys! So sorry it's been so long since I've published a chapter, I've been busy with school. Hope you enjoy the chapter, and please leave a review with some critiques, I love to improve my writing. Thanks and enjoy!

This story is rated T for dark content and some strong language, just so you know. (Also, there's a bit of gruesome description in this chapter.)

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Frozen or any of its characters or plots, I only own my twists and changes!

* * *

Dark, clogging smoke rose to the beautifully carved ceiling, melting it away with its boiling heat. All of her work, all of her time sculpting this beautiful palace, it was all for nothing. And she might not even survive getting out. Whatever she did, though, Elsa would not let Olaf die. Though Hans had taken almost everything from her, she would not let him destroy this little snowman, the only thing remaining from her frozen castle. She tried to conjure ice in her hand, but it immediately melted in her palm, and she was left with water dripping off of her hand slowly. Olaf was sweating profusely, and his usually cheerful face was now looking up at her, his eyes full of fear. She tightened her grip on him, looking at the spot where Boulder had been a few minutes before.

"Olaf, listen to me," she commanded, pointing at the spot. "I'm going to toss you over there. If you're careful, you can make it to the door. Okay?"

"How will you get out?" he asked.

She smiled reassuringly at him. "I'll be fine. Don't worry." With that, she picked him up easily, then tossed him towards the puddle of Boulder. Olaf barely landed in it, sliding in the water, then carefully got up and turned towards her, waving. She looked at the fire in front of her, again trying to summon ice. A weak spurt of water flew out, and she aimed it towards the fire. It briefly lowered some of the flames, certainly not powerful enough for her to get out. Her lungs felt strained from the smoke that she took in with every haggard breath. "GO!" she shouted to Olaf, who was still waiting for her in the puddle. He hesitated for a few seconds, then turned and ran out the double doors. There was only one thing Elsa could do... and that was make a run for it.

Bracing herself, she summoned more of the tiny amount of water and aimed it in front of her as she dashed towards the flames. It barely did anything against the flames, and she felt the overwhelming heat blistering against her skin. After what seemed like hours, she made it to the puddle, coughing and gasping for air. The smoke was almost unbearable now. Her icy dress had protected her from most of the heat, but it was mostly melted away. She could see the gray, cloud-covered sky outside, and she grinned as she straightened, taking a step towards it. But her icy heels, misshapen by heat, slid in the thin layer of water she was standing on, and she fell towards the flames. _No, no, no, I can't TRIP! _was her last thought before falling face first into the fire.

Pain. So much pain, and heat, and her skin felt like it was boiling, and she could hear herself screaming from the overwhelming _heat _of it. Her skin was tingling strangely and painfully, and there was so much pain in her head-

Instinctually, her arms pushed her back upwards, and she was kneeling, inches away from the flames. Her hands flew up to her face, but she felt them sizzling with the heat coming off of it. There was still so much pain, so much, and she could barely see. She quickly lowered her face to the ground, dunking it in the puddle. Some of the pain lessened, but she could still feel the stinging. Realizing that she hadn't breathed in for a while, she raised her face out of the water and turned her head back towards the door. Her left eye seemed to be working again, but her right vision was strangely just... not there. Resolving to worry about it later, she rushed towards the doors, almost crying with relief as the winter air whipped across her face. Olaf was waiting on the stairs, and he immediately rushed up to her, his eyes wide with shock. "Your face!" he shouted immediately.

"How much... how much is damaged?" It took more conscious effort to speak. It hurt immensely to move her lips. Looking back at the castle, she could see the fire raging inside. Even the outside walls were melting, water pouring down them in a glistening sheet. She could vaguely distinguish her reflection, and she gasped as she saw it. Quickly, she tried to summon ice. It was still more water than ice, but she was obviously cooling again. The water slid down the stairs, and she looked at her image in it.

The right side of her face was blackened and charred, gruesomely melted away. Her right eyelid appeared to have melted shut against the skin underneath. It certainly explained why she couldn't see through it. Her left side was more fortunate, but it was still a bright, painful reddish pink with a strange sheen. Part of her hair was burned away, the end of her braid now a charred black instead of its previous snowy white. It wasn't unraveling, though, and as she pulled at it, she understood why. The hair at the end appeared to have melted together, keeping the braid in place. _At least my hair won't be getting in the way, _she thought to herself, giggling despite the horror of her appearance and the pain. The giggle grew into a full laugh, and Olaf looked at her strangely as she kept laughing while looking at her face.

"Elsa..." he said cautiously. He stepped closer to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

She was still laughing, gasping for breath now, not able to stop the fit of humor. Her eye that wasn't fused shut had a weird gleam in it. Something about the queen had snapped. Apparently not realizing this, Olaf looked at her, confused. "What's so funny?" he asked.

Without answering him, she stood, and his twig arm fell to his side. She walked down the stairs, not looking back at her palace melting away behind her, still laughing, her ruined face twisted into a leering grin. Her footprints in the snow were lined with ash as she walked down the mountain, back towards Arendelle, and not knowing what else to do, Olaf followed.


	22. Chapter 21: Regaining Memories

Author's Note:

Thanks, everyone, for viewing my last chapter! Again, it's taken me a few days to write this because of school. Hope you guys enjoy! Also, make sure to check out my friend Peppery right here: u/4399639/Peppery She has some awesome fanfics!

This story is rated T for dark content and some strong language, just so you know.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Frozen or any of its characters or plots, I only own my twists and changes!

* * *

"We have to take you to the trolls!" Kristoff shouted over the howling wind and Sven's clomping on the ground.

Anna was sitting stoically behind him, her arms laced around his large chest. "How long will that take?" she said, her voice biting and cynical.

"It'll be a few minutes."

"Fine." She turned her head to look across the whitened landscape. There was hardly anything to see through the wild blizzard except the faint lights of what apperaed to be Arendelle below them. They were speeding away from it across the mountains, heading into more forested terrain. Pine trees whizzed by as Sven charged forward, snorting occasionally. She could feel her fingertips tingling with the cold... or was that something else?

Before she could look at them to make sure she didn't have frostbite or something equally nasty, Kristoff spoke. "You all right back there?"

"Um... yeah. I'm fine. Is it warm where we're going?"

"Warm enough. Don't worry, the trolls will know how to heal you. We need to get that ice out right away."

Anna nodded slightly. The scar on her forehead was stinging slightly, and her hand moved up automatically to see why. Her fingers brushed it slightly, and she gasped suddenly at how cold her fingers were. She looked at them closely, then her eyes widened. Her finger tips were slowly becoming transparent and bluish.

Kristoff turned his head slightly to look back at her. "Everything okay?"

"Of course it is," she snapped, pulling her fingers around him again. "Why wouldn't it be?"

Not understanding why she was so sullen, he frowned, then turned his head again to look forward. He could see patches of green on the ground now, and the snow was lightening to a slow sprinkling of powder. The branches of trees had less and less snow clumped atop them as they went on, and soon, there were only the few patches of snow on the ground. Sven's clopping across the ground slowed, and the reindeer stepped into a large, round clearing with several stones bunched in the middle.

Kristoff slid from the back of the reindeer, then helped Anna to the ground. She looked around suspiciously at the oddly spherical stones. "Where are the trolls?" she asked.

"You're looking at them." Kristoff walked up to one of the biggest of the stones, then put his hand on it. "Pabbie?" he asked, his voice full of respect.

Slowly, the stone seemed to unroll itself, forming a head and arms and legs of stone, covered in green, slick moss. The eyes of the creature opened, and it looked up at Kristoff. The rest of the stones began opening, like budding flowers stretching outwards to expose their petals to the warm sun. Soon, several trolls were around Kristoff, looking up at him curiously. The largest one, the one who had opened first, spoke. "What is it?" Then it looked around, seeing the patches of snow, and its stony face seemed to lighten several shades.

"Elsa... she sort of... freaked out," Kristoff said. "I didn't know what to do, she was uncontrollable."

"That's all right." Pabbie patted his leg reassuringly, certainly not tall enough to reach anything higher. Then he turned towards Anna, and a craggy smile grew on his face. "Anna," he said, walking up to her. "Yes, I remember you."

She kneeled next to him. "Can you help me?" she asked, her voice vulnerable and quiet for the first time since being hit by the ice.

The troll carefully reached upwards and touched the scar on Anna's forehead. "Do you remember when you were last healed?" he asked gently.

"No. I don't. Should I?"

"Certainly not." He chuckled. "That was the purpose of it. But now... I believe you've grown and strengthened enough that you can bear the memories." He closed his eyes, and a blue, mist-like magic seeped from his palm and onto her forehead.

_"Hurry, we're almost there!" George shouted, riding his horse, the still dozing Anna in front of him. The queen and Elsa were following behind on their own steed. Quickly, the king rushed into the clearing. "Please, I need help!" He picked up Anna off of the saddle, turning towards the rocks._

_The trolls immediately burst out of their spherical shapes, and Pabbie rushed forward. The king knelt next to him and held out the child, a terrified look on his face. Pabbie extended his hand on her forehead, where blood was oozing out, now paler than before. The queen and Elsa dismounted as well, drawing closer to the scene. The old troll let green magic gently trickle onto her forehead, and where it landed, the bloody gash sealed itself, stopping the blood flow, until all that was left was a red and white scar. "The ice was embedded in her head, forcing magic into her mind. I was able to remove it... but it also removed her memory of magic." He looked at Elsa knowingly. "She now knows nothing about your powers, dear."_

_Elsa paled. "But... what about us playing?"_

_"Don't worry," he said, smiling reassuringly. "They've only been changed. She still loves you. She just doesn't know about your magic."_

_The queen stepped forward. "So Anna will be all right."_

_"Yes, she'll be fine. But Elsa." The troll stepped up to the older child, putting a rocky hand on her shoulder. "You need to learn to control these powers." Images of magical blue mist began forming above them, and Elsa watched raptly, her eyes wide. "You can learn to do amazing things with your magic. But if you turn towards darker purposes... if you can't control it..." The images suddenly flashed into a crimson, and became sharp and crisp against the night sky. Elsa gasped with fright. _

_The queen quickly took Elsa's hand. "But we'll help her. We'll teach her how to control them. Right, dear?" She looked at her husband._

_"Well..." The king hesitated. "We can certainly try."_

Anna's eyes flashed open, and she gasped in the frigid air. She thought for a second, reviewing the images in her mind. Then she whispered the one question she wanted to know the answer to, but didn't know if she'd be able to bear hearing the answer. "Did she do it on purpose?"

The troll hesitated, then sighed. "I don't know."


	23. Chapter 22: Frozen and Shattered

Author's Note:

Thank you for reading! Sorry that this chapter's shorter than usual. No major news right now, just make sure to leave a review. I can always use some critiques. Enjoy!

This story is rated T for dark content and some strong language, just so you know.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Frozen or any of its characters or plots, I only own my twists and changes!

* * *

Anna paused for one moment after hearing this, letting her frozen breath plume out in front of her, then spoke quietly. "We have to stop her."

The troll hesitated, then nodded in agreement. "She needs to be stopped before anyone else gets hurt. But first, child, you must be healed." He looked her over, then his eyes widened as he saw a light blue glow coming from her chest. "In the heart?"

"She's been acting... strangely," Kristoff added. One of his arms was extended over Sven's back, as if he was leaning on the reindeer for support. Kristoff was looking warily at Anna as she spoke again.

"I'm not being strange! I'm FINE!" It came out as more of a shout than she anticipated, and everyone went silent for a few seconds as the trolls stared at her. Anna had a wild glint in her eyes as she whirled towards Kristoff. "Would YOU be just fine if your sister tried to kill you?! Would you be acting perfectly normal if she STABBED YOU?!" Her voice rose with fury as she glared right into his shocked eyes. "I've trusted my sister for YEARS, and now she's BETRAYED ME! I stayed by her side, do you get that?! I STAYED BY HER! When our parents were too scared to even look at her, I was there! When she was in her room, I was the one who always asked her if I could get in! And when our parents were trying to find out why instead of LOVE her right, I was the one who played with her! I'm her sister, and SHE DID THIS!"

Everyone was silent. The seconds stretched on, and Anna's clenched fists slowly loosened. She took a deep breath, the cruel light in her eyes still present, but diminishing as time went on. Then Pabbie spoke in his gravelly, comforting voice. "We don't doubt that you've been betrayed," he said carefully. "But regardless, we need to heal you as soon as possible. Unfortunately, it won't be so simple." He began creating images in blue mist in the air, and the rest of the trolls oohed and ahed as the shapes appeared. It was the two figures of what appeared to be young women. Pabbie gestured towards one, and she began glowing a softer, lighter blue, especially around her heart. "Anna, you and your sister have both been affected by the ice in different ways. Your heart is gradually freezing. You'll last longer than those who are wounded in other areas, but you'll become... colder, and not just in the real sense. You'll act colder towards everyone you come in contact with, and eventually, you'll become completely frozen. When you're near Elsa's ice, it only makes the process quicker. If you weren't around her ice for a long time, you might live most of a normal lifespan, but now... There is one way to help you." Anna's figure vibrated slightly, and then it turned from a light blue into a warm pink. "An act of true love can warm a frozen heart."

"However," he continued with, Anna's image fading away, "your sister is a different case. Her heart has not been frozen... it is her mind that is affected." Elsa's silhouette flashed a bright, bloody red, the edges sharp and clear. "I have no idea what will happen to her, but there is no doubt... her mind has shattered." Then the image Elsa's head seemed to explode into thousands of tiny, sharpened fragments spreading into the air like shrapnel. "A simple kiss won't cure her, and her mind has shattered so devastatingly that taking away memories wouldn't do anything for her except confuse her." Pabbie looked at Anna for a few seconds. "The same thing would've happened to you if your father hadn't taken you to me." Then his attention turned back towards the image. "If someone stayed with her, rehabilitated her gradually and gave her all the love they could..." The pieces of Elsa's head slowly drifted back into their previous shape. "There would still be cracks, but there is the possibility that she could live with a relatively stable mind."

Elsa's image disappeared with a small poof, and Anna nodded resolutely. "We have to go back to Arendelle," she said to Kristoff.

His eyes widened. "Really? Are you sure it's safe?"

"If Elsa's still in her palace, yes. I have to find Hans." She looked frostily at him. "You'll take me there."

Not sure how to respond, Kristoff looked to Pabbie, who nodded reassuringly. He sighed, then lifted his arm off of Sven. "Let's go," he said, gesturing towards the blizzard-coated Arendelle in the distance. "Don't want to keep your prince waiting."


	24. Chapter 23: Bloody Return

Author's Note:

Thank you, everyone, for reading the story so far! Sorry the chapter's so short, I'll have much more of the story ready later. Hope you enjoy!

This story is rated T for dark content and some strong language, just so you know.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Frozen or any of its characters or plots, I only own my twists and changes!

* * *

Lilith was still wearing her maid's uniform with its lacy apron streaked with dust when she was crashed into. One moment, she was walking down the hallway, cleaning cloth in hand, and the next, someone was barreling into her. She fell backwards onto the thick carpet with a thump, then sat up, scowling. "What are you do-" she began before she saw the reddish liquid on her arm. But it wasn't as dark or crimson as blood... it was rapidly paling. She quickly turned towards the person who was getting up next to her, then gasped as she recognized them. "Marie?!" she shouted, pushing herself up off the floor.

The other maid looked back at her, eyes wild with fear, her hand clutched to her side. Her bluish lips trembled as she said, "We have to run."

"What? What do you mean-"

"The queen's back."

The very words spread a chill down Lilith's spine. She looked down the hallway where Marie had come from, and realized that a sheen of ice was spreading across the walls towards them. Grabbing Marie's hand, she began sprinting the other way, leading them towards the main entrance of the castle. But as they turned a corner and the enormous wooden doors came into view, Lilith felt her legs crash into something cold on the ground and went sprawling onto the floor with Marie. She turned to see a large growing lump of ice, expanding like a tumor from the floor. Then it split apart into various spears, which detached from the floor with a crack and floated into the air, whirling to face the two maids with their sharpened tips. Then she heard a dark chuckling coming closer by the second, and scrambled backwards towards the doors, trying to back away. Marie appeared to be petrified with fear, staring at where the chuckling was emanating from.

Then with a final shudder of a laugh, the queen appeared from around the corner. Lilith felt a shriek burst from her lips as she saw Elsa's hideous face. She had only seen the queen once or twice before this, but knew that this couldn't possibly be the young woman with flawless skin and a cold gaze. Now most of her skin was charred and blackened and melted downwards, like a used, blister-pink candle. And the look in her eyes... it was almost impossible to describe. Lilith could sense the chaos and twisted madness behind her clear irises.

With a piercing whizz, the spears rocketed forwards. Lilith threw herself to the side and only felt the slicing pain in her left arm. But she could see the frozen projectile thunk into Marie's throat, snapping her head backwards and ejecting one guttural moan before there was silence. Her back was arched into a curve by the spear with the tip embedded in the ground, holding the corpse in place. Lilith felt the vomit rising up her throat and frantically swallowed to hold it back as she thrust herself upwards into a standing position. She could feel the warm liquid coursing down her arm, but her eyes snapped immediately towards the insane queen instead. The queen's mangled lips slowly curled upwards into a grin as the spears pulled upwards out of the floor and pointed back towards her.

Lilith screamed one last time, then turned and forced all of her muscles to snap into a run as she dashed out the front doors, adrenaline flowing through her frigid veins. It was a few seconds before she could convince herself to look down at her arm, and it was just as she feared. The blood already looked pink-tinged, and the skin around the wound was tingling. She could almost smell the stomach-churning scent of bloody frost. She wouldn't have long before she was frozen completely, but she was temporarily relieved that whatever would happen, it couldn't possibly be worst than what more the queen would do to her... and what would happen to the rest of the kingdom.


	25. Chapter 24: Transparency

Author's Note:

Hello, everyone! Sorry it's been so long since the last chapter. I've been really busy. I've thought of doing a few more Disney fanfics, probably starting with Snow White, that would be darker or twisted like Frozen Hearts, Shattered Minds. If you guys, all you various people who happen to read this, would like something like that, please let me know. :) Anyways, thanks for reading, hope you enjoy!

This story is rated T for dark content and some strong language, just so you know.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Frozen or any of its characters or plots, I only own my twists and changes!

* * *

The snow bit against her crisped cheek, ashes from the end of her braid floating out on the fierce gale. But she relished the pain, loved how it awakened her senses, made her feel alive. She wanted to be aware and remember this, seeing every single moment clearly when she recalled how their mouths stretched wide into half-formed screams, how the snow whipped around their faces, red soaking into the white ground. Her magic stretched outwards, slicing into everything within reach, and always reaching out, hungry for more. If Elsa ever looked back on this, her memories would be full of serrated edges and red trickling from open mouths, empty eyes and frozen corpses. The little snowman was beside her, seeing everything, giggling occasionally as she made a particularly gory kill, innards spattering onto the snow.

Anna's hands were feeling cold and tingly, strangely pleasant compared to the numbness of the rest of her body. The cloth of Kristoff's shirt felt strange against her frozen palms as if everything had become softer and smoother under her hands. She still felt a strange numbness inside her mind, emotionally drained and cold. Kristoff was saying something to her, but she couldn't quite hear, it sounded too far away. The snow whirled in front of her face. It made dizzying patterns that seemed to hypnotize her into feeling like she could sleep for thousands of years... Vaguely, she felt Sven stop, his nervous braying seemingly miles away. She looked around hazily, then glanced down at her hands, which she realized were completely transparent. _They're pretty, _she thought to herself, seeing the blizzarding world around her through her crystalline fingers.

"Anna? Anna, we have to get off. The snow drifts are too big." Kristoff slid off the reindeer, helping Anna down. She realized that her feet had the same strong tingling as her hands, and wondered if they were transparent as well. She tried to stand, but slipped on the thick crust of snow underneath her, and the strangeness of her tingling feet wasn't helping. Kristoff picked her up as soon as it became obvious that she couldn't walk by herself. He quickly walked through the snow, and Sven tried to follow them, his long legs pulling clumsily through the drifts that came up to his knees, and sometimes were higher than his legs. Kristoff was struggling with her, but he never once put her down, never once told her that she had to walk.

Hans lifted his head as he heard the knocking at the door. "Come in," he said, his voice clipped.

One of the palace maids was in there. He had once met her, what was her name? Lucy? No, Lillith. "Your Highness," she said, her face pale, clutching her arm in one hand. Pinkish blood was trickling down from where her hand was holding it. "The queen is back. She's... she's been..." The maid took a deep breath, then continued. "She's in the palace."

Hans had been sitting in a side room in one of the guard towers that was a ways away from the palace, trying to figure out how to stop the rapidly spreading transparency across his limbs. The sight had terrified him, along with the strength of the blue glow. He quickly stood, ignoring the strange feeling in his legs. "Why'd you tell me? You have to let the guards know, you stupid-" Quickly stopping himself, he wondered why those were the immediate words that had come to mind. "Go find a doctor," he said after a few seconds, looking at the wound on her arm. "Maybe he can do something."

She swallowed nervously and nodded, turning and rushing out the door. He quickly walked out of the room, and rushed to find the captain of the guards. It took a few minutes until he saw the captain at the bottom floor of the tower, giving orders to various squads. "The queen-" Hans began.

"She's in the palace," the captain said, turning towards the prince. "We'll have her soon, don't worry." He then noticed the blue glow near Hans's heart. "Your Highness... are you all right?"

"I'm fine." Hans nearly spat the words out. "Just make sure the queen dies."

The captain gave him a brisk nod, then turned back towards the other guards, issuing orders, and Hans walked back upstairs, determined to find his sword. He had to end Elsa once and for all, no matter what was wrong with him.


	26. Chapter 25: Trapped

Author's Note:

Thanks to everyone for reading this so far! I suddenly realized a day or two ago that this is so close to ending, and then it'll be... done. Of course, I'll go back and edit stuff, but the story will still have an end. It's a strange feeling. Anyways, enjoy the chapter! And sorry that the chapters so far haven't been the longest, the final chapter will definitely be very long... and it might be the next chapter. Oh god.

This story is rated T for dark content and some strong language, just so you know.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Frozen or any of its characters and plots, I only own my twists and changes!

* * *

Kristoff squinted as much as he could while trying to navigate through the heavy hills of snow. He was carrying the delicate form of the princess, trying to shield the worst of the blizzard. She shivered every so often, and her skin was becoming colder and colder against his. Sven was still following along behind and he snorted every so long, as if to remind Kristoff of his presence.

Soon, they reached a large icy plain that he realized was what was left of the water around Arendelle. He began walking along the ice, his boots occasionally slipping against the slick ice and causing his heart to jump into his throat every time. He could hear the clopping of hooves against the ice... and then a huge cracking.

Almost shrieking with panic, he whirled around, only to see Sven's startled face whoosh downwards into the suddenly created hole in the ice. There was one frightened bray, and then silence. Kristoff quickly set Anna down on the ice, then rushed to the hole. He could barely see the silhouette of the reindeer. He looked back over his shoulder to see Anna stumbling into a standing position, then beginning to walk as if in a trance. Then he turned back towards the reindeer falling through the freezing water. He couldn't just let his childhood friend die. The princess would have to wait, he had to do something. "I'll be back soon!" he shouted back to her, then before making sure she heard, he dived into the water.

The first thing he felt was the immediate biting cold. A shudder rippled across his entire body, but he shook it off and began swimming downwards. He looked back upwards and realized that the hole he had plunged through was beginning to freeze over again. He quickened his pace downwards. It wasn't long before he saw the large animal... that was no longer moving. He grabbed the hoof of the reindeer, pulling it as hard as he could, but it barely moved upwards. He realized that there was nothing he could do. _Sven... no, no, no, this can't happen! _he thought frantically, swimming around to see Sven's face. He immediately wished he hadn't. The eyes were open to the water, and empty, cold, devoid of life. There was nothing of Kristoff's friend in that corpse's gaze.

Kristoff felt his lungs squeezing tightly together, and he began propelling himself upwards, back towards the hole. He reached it soon after seeing Sven's body, but he felt another shudder as he realized that he was too late. He pounded against the ice roof above him, but it was no use. There was only a thin outline in the ice where the hole used to be, and though he was using all of his strength, it wouldn't break again. He looked in all directions, panicked, hoping for anything that could save him. All he could see was faint, murky light from above, from the world that he would never return to.

His last conscious, fear-filled moments were spent letting out a scream into the ocean.

Elsa's first clear moment was when she was in the middle of the city. She slowly blinked, trying to let the scene register. All around her, there were... bodies. Every single one of them had a face twisted gruesomely with horror and grimaces of pain. Though her rampage had felt so right and so just when she had come, now it was so... _wrong, _seeing the innocent people in bloody piles, their bodies slowly becoming transparent, some of them already sculptures of ice, their faces terrifyingly afraid...

Olaf's voice spoke. "Elsa? What's wrong?"

"We can't stay here," she whispered, taking his stick hand. Together, they quietly walked away from the bodies, only to discover more devastation as she went on. She didn't even remember much of this, it was all a blur... Anna's cheerful face kept popping up in her mind, her smile twisting into a cruel sneer, accusing her of being a _monster. _She had never given much thought to if she had a conscience or not, but that must have been what the terrible pulling of her gut was, the unbearable guilt as she looked at thousands of people lying in the snow.

Eventually, she and Olaf made it to the ice surrounding the kingdom. "We'll rebuild the palace," she said quietly. "We'll stay away, far away, where we can't hurt anyone."

"But... what about killing?"

"We can't DO that anymore!" She whirled on the snowman, but as soon as she saw the fright in his eyes, she paused, realizing that icy spikes had already formed in her hands. She tried to explain with, "I need to control this. For now... no more killing."

They began making their way across the frozen sea, the snow whirling around them. Elsa thought she was just seeing a strange pattern in the snow... until it became a figure walking towards them. The dark red hair and white coat were all too familiar, and so was the sword he was holding. She stopped, then whispered urgently to Olaf. "Go. You need to go, now!" The snowman ran off without question, and she turned back to face the man she had once thought she loved, and who now only wanted her death.

Hans stepped into view, his expression hard and cold. "You know what I have to do."

She swallowed nervously, then nodded. "I know. Hans... I've done terrible things. Please make it stop." She felt a sob shake her. "I just want this all to be done. How can I do something like that? Hans, I thought that I was a good person!" Tears began flowing down her pale, ghostly cheeks. She felt her power urging her to freeze them, but it felt so good to refuse her magic to let it have its way, and let the tears flow. "Do what you have to do. Please. I... I'm a monster. I should've stopped when Anna realized that, I should've known that what I was doing was wrong, I should have stopped all of this, so just stop it while you can, because if I'm allowed to live any more, only THIS will happen!"

Then she turned away from him, still sobbing. "Please," she whispered, "make this end." And then she waited.


	27. Chapter 26: Melting of the World

Author's Note:

Everyone... this is the last chapter. It's been so amazing getting a large amount of views from you guys and all the encouraging reviews. Thank you guys so much! If you have any suggestions for any edits I could make to the story, please leave a review. Also, BIG news! I'll be starting a collab novel after this, and it'll be about a different Disney movie. More info on the novel itself and the person I'll be writing it with later. One more thing before you read, there will probably be an epilogue for this, so make sure you look out for that. But for now... enjoy.

This story is rated T for dark content and some strong language, just so you know.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Frozen or any of its characters or plots, I only own my twists and changes!

* * *

Anna stumbled blindly through the snow, looking for any sign that the large towers of Arendelle were drawing any closer. She could barely see the huge structures of stone through the whirling and tumbling snow. She was almost completely numb now, and whenever she looked down at her arm, she could see right through it to the snow beneath. The nervousness she had felt earlier was completely gone, replaced with a strange serenity.

Then up ahead, she thought she could see something strange. It was a spot of dark red in the swirling white around, and she began gravitating towards it. She was barely able to distinguish the white military coat underneath it, and she realized who it was. There was a strange nagging in the back of her mind, something about a kiss, but she pushed the thought away. It wasn't as important as getting to him, getting to _someone. _She couldn't quite remember why, but she couldn't stay out in the snow... and something about the numbing was bad... but maybe it wasn't so bad after all. She felt the pleasant tingling feeling across her entire body, and she wanted it to last forever... but she had to get to Hans. The urge pulled her across the ice towards him, one shuffling step at a time.

Then she realized who was standing in front of him. There was Elsa, with her slightly rosy tinted dress... but there was something wrong with her skin. It was too pink, and there were blackened spots, especially on one side of her face. As Anna saw it, she had a sudden thought; _She deserves to look like that. _

She wasn't sure where the thought had come from or why it had flashed through her mind, but it echoed through her head as she felt a strange warmth spreading across her limbs and she paused mid-stride, her arm still reaching out towards Hans.

Elsa waited and waited for that last strike to slice through her, waited for pain and for the darkness and finality she desperately craved... but instead, she heard a clattering of ice and metal, and then arms were around her. She gasped, almost forming ice in her hands, but she forced herself to stop. She realized that he was embracing her. The long-unused word in her mind appeared for this... _hug. _

"Oh, god, Elsa, what have I done to you?" he whispered, and she could hear the pain in his voice. She was startled, not realizing how to respond until he had pulled away. He pulled away, and she turned towards his face, which was when she realized that there were tears in his eyes. He studied her for a second, and she realized that a strange blue glow near his heart was fading away. "I... I did this," he said, his eyes on the burned half of her face. "Elsa, I'm so sorry."

Had he just said that? Somehow, Hans had said what she had longed to hear for so many years, but it was so hard to believe it. His words seemed to repeat over and over in her head, until she spoke. "You're not going to... kill me? But Anna would want..." It hurt too much to say it.

"Anna? Why would she want that?" Hans asked, a confused look on his face. "Did you... kill her?"

"No, but I hurt her-" Elsa felt herself paling at the sudden realization. "She hasn't been back at Arendelle, has she?"

Hans shook his head, panic showing on his face. "We have to go find her," he said, but as soon as he said it, he realized that there was something on the icy plain near them. "What is that?" he asked. He pointed at the strange blue silhouette that he could barely see through the snow. Beginning to walk towards it, he could hear the clicking of Elsa's heels on the ice behind him, and a strange chuckling as well. He turned his head back just enough to see the small snowman walking next to Elsa, taking her hand easily. He frowned, but turned back towards the figure. As he got closer, he could see more details, and he realized it was someone who had been frozen by Elsa's magic. He could tell it was from a wound because the person was still mid-stride... and then he noticed the pattern of the dress etched into the ice, the springtime flowers and the bun in her hair, now messy with strands poking out...

Anna's innocent face gazed at him through the ice, her eyes blank as they gazed forward towards Arendelle, her arm extended as if reaching for something, though what it was, he couldn't know. Elsa began running towards the statue, stopping inches away from it. Olaf hung back, standing next to Hans and listening to the beginning of Elsa's shuddering sobs. They both watched, Hans filled with a horror that seemed to leech at his soul with guilt, and Olaf's face was blank, simply observing. Elsa flung her arms around the statue, the crying shaking and heaving her shoulders, tears dripping down onto the ice beneath.

The queen couldn't let go of the feeling that this was all because of her horrible, monstrous deeds, her fury-filled actions, that caused so many people to lose their lives, including her own sister's. "Anna," she began whispering to the unmoving statue, "I'm so sorry. I never meant for this to happen." She clung tightly to the statue as if it were her anchor, as if it were the only thing holding her still in her world of churning emotions and unpredictable rage. "I thought that I could let go of everything and everyone, but I can't, I can't, I couldn't, it was wrong, and I did this, and I'm sorry!" She almost screamed out the last words, as if trying to get through to the statue. "Come back, Anna! I LOVE YOU!"

Her sobs echoed into the empty winter air, the snowflakes falling in slow motion around her, and Anna didn't move.

"Love melts everything," Olaf's voice said, empty and devoid of emotion. His words seemed strangely quiet compared to Elsa, who turned to see him. "Love can thaw everything."

Elsa immediately looked into Anna's unblinking eyes hopefully, waiting for any movement, any motion at all. But Anna did not move. However, she could sense something happening around her in the ice. She panicked as she felt her control slipping away from the world around her. She stepped back from Anna's cold remnants and looked around, only to see the most horrid thing... everything was melting. Snow was dissolving like sugar in water around them, the water collecting into serene puddles. She could feel the ice under her feet slowly crackling and shifting with heat, and she felt the prince's hand take her arm and drag her back from Anna and back towards dry land. She tried to pull away from him, to try and bring Anna as well, but she was distracted by a sudden shrieking.

She turned to face the tiny little snowman, who was screaming as he began dripping, the heat from the returning sunlight transforming him into oozing slush. His face began collapsing, and Elsa rushed to him frantically, trying to summon ice to save him. But when she tried, only a small trickle of water dripped out from her fingertips and onto the fragmenting ice underneath her. She took Olaf's stick hand, but she was only holding an inanimate twig as soon as it slipped out of his body. Olaf's final screams turned into gurgles as he turned into a large puddle in front of her.

This was too much. She closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to deny what she had just seen. She wasn't crying any more, she was only filled with a twisting ache, filled with all the mourning and sorrow she had felt in the last hour. Elsa was only dimly aware of Hans lifting her up from her crouched position next to the puddle and pulling her back to shore, and she tried to ignore the deafening cracking of the ice as it broke apart. She only opened her eyes when she looked out over the reappearing sea to see Anna, but the icy sculpture of her sister was gone, vanished underneath the waves.

Hans led her through the entrance of the kingdom, and she saw several guards' faces flash with panic before rushing towards her and her princely escort. Two of them came up on either side and took each of her arms, forcing her towards the castle. They were obviously terrified, but they would see no resistance from her. She felt hollowed out and empty, not feeling the urge to fight against them. Surely they'd execute her, and then this would all be over. All the pain would be gone. She could finally rest.

The guards led her to the castle, then down a staircase into the beginnings of the dungeon. Elsa realized what they were going to do, and suddenly, her fight returned. She tried to summon ice, but the sickening humidity of the underground prison only let her conjure mere drops of water. She began screaming and kicking and fighting against the guards, but their hold on her was firm. They took her past the barred cells and into the completely enclosed solitary rooms, pushing her into one. She tried to run from the room, but the door was slammed into her face and she heard the clicking of the lock. No matter how hard she pounded against the door and screamed, she couldn't stop the guards from walking away. They didn't even look back.

It was so small, so cramped, she couldn't help but remember the tiny room she was trapped in, and there was so much heat, she felt like she couldn't breathe, she needed to puke or sob or kick and hit, anything that would stop this, anything... She felt so much relief as she heard Hans speak through the tiny barred window on the door. "Elsa?" he asked timidly.

She quickly looked through the window right into his eyes. "Please, Hans, let me out, let me out, LET ME OUT!" she shouted, her heart sick with fear.

"Elsa, calm down!" he said. "I've stopped them from killing you, at least for now. Just stay here. Maybe they'll let you out for a few years. I'll make sure they don't kill you, I promise."

The words seemed to reverberate in her mind countless times. "No," she whispered. Hans was already walking away, but he turned slightly to look at her as she spoke. "No, Hans, I can't stay here! PLEASE!"

He looked sadly at her for a few moments. Then he turned back around and began to walk away.

"NO! HANS!" Elsa screamed at the top of her lungs, trying desperately to stop him and make him come back. "You don't understand, I can't stay here! Hans, PLEASE, let them kill me! LET THEM KILL ME!"

The slam of the steel entrance door thundered through the entire dungeon... and then there was silence.


	28. Epilogue

Author's Note:

I hope you guys enjoyed the ending. Wow... yeah. I had lots of feels doing that. Nothing else to say... I just hope you like the epilogue, and hope you liked the end. Please leave a review for suggestions on edits I can make to the story.

* * *

_Two and a half years later..._

Hans set his usual crown on his desk in his ornately furnished office. Somehow, it didn't feel right to see... _her _with it on. Even though he had been king of Arendelle for two years, that crown still didn't sit right on his head. Maybe it was because it never felt right, being king of a kingdom he'd have never been considered ruler of under normal circumstances. He was technically married to Elsa, which made his rule legal, but he doubted that she had actually ever said the vows. Hans doubted that he even knew about their "marriage". But since he had become a figurehead in a crisis, the kingdom had been under threat of riot and rebellion if he didn't become king.

He stood slowly, looking the messenger in the eye. "Are you sure?" It was only until he saw the awe in the young man's eyes that he realized that it had to be true. "Then... order them to free the queen from her cell," Hans said, the worry in his voice obvious. "But make sure she's kept in chains. I'll be supervising her freeing. And this is only temporary. Make sure they understand that."

The messenger, who couldn't be older than sixteen, dashed off to tell the guards. Hans felt a frown settle on his face as he walked out of his office, leaving the crown behind. He then began making his way down to the dungeon, nodding to the guards waiting for him. They escorted him down the hall to one of the last cells. He couldn't hear anything coming from it. "She's still alive, correct?" Hans asked one of the guards.

"Yes, your Majesty," he responded. "Every day, we make sure she's still alive. Though checking on her isn't pleasant." The guard shuddered slightly.

With a shaking hand, one of the other guards pulled out a ring of keys, then inserted a silver one into the lock, taking a deep breath, then swinging the door open.

The queen was sitting as demurely as could be, her hands folded in her lap and her back straight. It frightened Hans as he saw it, and a chill travelled down his spine as he wondered why she would be sitting like that. Then he noticed that the one eye that wasn't covered with a white bandage was tightly shut, and she was taking deep breaths. Was she trying to calm herself?

One of the guards stepped forward and slowly placed his hand on her wrist. "Your Majesty," he said in a shaky whisper, "you have a visitor."

Slowly, the queen opened her eye. They seemed to sparkle in what little light fell into the cell from a lantern one of the guards was holding. She was much paler than when she had taken over the kingdom, and she wore a plain, gray dress with frayed edges instead of her rosy gown. Her white, corpselike hands trembled slightly when she responded, her voice thin and ragged from either lack of use or too much use. Hans wondered if she had been screaming down here. It was a disconcerting thought. "Who would want to visit me?"

"You're going to... go outside to see her." Hans certainly didn't like the idea, but if it would stop the rumor of Elsa being killed quietly for her crimes, then it was worth it. The last thing the kingdom needed was a martyr to incite the ice cults.

As she heard his voice, Elsa turned to look right into his eyes. "How kind of you to let me have fresh air," she whispered. The bandages covering most of her right side didn't mask the horror of seeing her at all. Every time Hans looked at her, he couldn't help but see the melted and blackened skin, the half-boiled cheek and eyelid melted shut, droplets of melted skin like dripping candle wax... But he couldn't let his fear take over his mind. He had a duty to get her outside without incident, and he couldn't let nerves get in his way.

He led the way out of the dungeon, the guards not needing to pull the chains attached to Elsa's arms. It was unlikely she could do anything, though. It was the middle of summer, and it was too hot in the mid-afternoon for her to summon anything. He hoped that she wouldn't stay outside for long, since as soon as evening came, it may be cool enough for her to create ice. And if that happened, all was lost. Hans walked up the stairs, hearing the clanking of the chains, then pushed open the doors.

An attendant by the side had retrieved his crown and stood at the side of the doors, extending it towards him, but he shook his head and continued into the daylight without it, hearing the nervous anticipation of the crowd beyond expressed in low muttering. As soon as Elsa walked into the light, she winced at the heat, her legs beginning to tremble, but the guards dragged her onwards, almost causing her to fall. But she kept her feet and held her chin high, trying to act noble in the oppressing heat, as the crowd around began jeering. She looked around the crowd, and as she made eye contact with the people, they fell silent, uncomfortable with the intensity of her gaze. Then she looked forward, until she realized who was waiting for her at the end of her march.

I stood before her with a silent man beside me, watching as my daughter approached, feeling a small smile tug at the corners of my lips.

_To Be Continued here: s/10735509/1/The-Ocean-s-Reach_


End file.
